What was that saying? While growing up, I was exposed to a lot of sayings, proverbs, and maxims. These include classics like the following. A stitch in time saves nine. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Put your money where your mouth is. You've got to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Haste makes waste. Make hay while the sun shines. No pain, no gain! Craziness is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different outcome. Many of these sayi

On Wednesday December 3rd, 2025, I attended a protest rally at the light rail station of the Humphrey Terminal of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport which began shortly after 10 a.m. It was a union-sponsored action to protest the latest anti-immigrant, anti-Somali policies of our new president, as well as to support undercompensated Uber/Lyft drivers. There was a sizeable group of more than 25 protestors at the entrance of the light rail station. Several activists from The T

At this time, I’m very concerned about the state of our nation. Ever since Trump was elected president, our country has plunged into a downward trajectory.  I don’t even know where to begin:  the unfair tariffs imposed on many countries including our friends;  the cruel, wholesale deportation of immigrants and refugees from countries south of our border who are being sent to detention centers like Alligator Alcatraz;  the placing of National Guard troops in major cities acros

Now that Thanksgiving's right around the corner, I'd like to write about some of the things I'm grateful for. In one of my favorite Christmas movies -- It's a Wonderful Life -- George Bailey's hapless guardian angel Clarence not only saves George from killing himself, but also allows him to imagine what his world would have been like if George had never been born. To begin with, his younger brother would have died because George would not have been there to save him. The

Recently, I took a six-weeks Loft class in novel writing taught by a young African-American novelist and teacher named Jenee.  There were eight students, all of whom submitted excerpts from the novels they were working on.  The format of the class included a weekly synopsis of each selection, followed by a critique which included things that worked and things that could be improved.  Jenee also offered us some writing tips such as effective plot construction, the use of dialo

On the day before Halloween -- October 30th -- I stopped into Roxy's Cabaret, kitty corner from my apartment building, to attend a combination drag show, dinner, costume contest, and Bingo. It was my first visit to Roxy's which opened up three years ago. I had never been to a drag show before, so it turned out to be quite an eye-opener. The first thing I noticed when I stepped into the large dining area on the first floor were people wearing fanciful, colorful outfits which

Recently, I've embarked on a new kind of therapy designed to help people suffering from severe depression who don't respond to medications. It is called TMS which stands for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. TMS is a painless treatment for depression which uses brief, MRI-strength magnetic pulses to stimulate parts of the brain associated with the symptoms of the illness. Unlike medications, which act throughout the entire body, TMS does not cause any side effects such

Over the past few years, several people have asked me what inspires me to keep writing, performing, and recording songs. Some are...

Ever since I was a little boy, I've loved the water. I remember seeing a photo of me as a five-year old in Giessen-Wieseck, Germany...

On Tuesday April 1st (April Fool's Day), I helped to continue a tradition begun at Walker Church ten years ago by my friend Mary Parker....

Golden Nuggets Stew Songbook At the end of April, I will be coming out with my tenth CD of original songs. One thing I enjoy almost as...

2024 was a very difficult year for me. During that time, I attended two Minneapolis hospital programs four different times for mental...

News Junkie! I consider myself a dyed-in-the-wool news junkie and an MPR (Minnesota Public Radio) addict! I've got my radio turned on...

Recently, I joined a group of Vail Communities members in order to attend the annual NAMI-sponsored Day on the Hill event at the...

Recently, I started taking a community ed class in modern dance and storytelling at Roosevelt High School. The young instructor, whose...

A few of months ago, while visiting the Hennepin County Central Library on a Saturday afternoon to work with their computers, I stumbled...

In November, I will be giving a sermon at Walker Church on the topic of the link between creativity and spirituality. Back in the 1990s,...

One thing I've noticed as I've gotten older is the diminishing control of my bladder and sphincter muscle. I often find myself in need...

When I've talked with people about my background and education, I've often been told that they admire my intelligence and the wonderful...

In reflecting over the past 79 years of my life, I've noticed that there have been a few significant occurrences -- I like to call them...