Primer timeline according to xkcd:

I’ve never seen that one, but I liked the series with Donald Glover.

My vet tech wife agrees.

The antibiotics should’ve done the job so the cat needs attention.

I’m in Duluth, Minnesota, if you’re anywhere nearby.

I’m a big guy. Tall, fat, boisterous, strong, opinionated, and outgoing. I love watching people, giving compliments, and delivering a solid joke. I make an impression on people whether I realize it or not. I’m too big to hide so I’ve chosen not to.

But I’m also an introverted hermit, so I almost never get to be that guy unless I’ve pushed myself to be out and among people.

I always wondered if that was supposed to be Dave Matthews (real fans call him Dave) but the whole plan fell apart.

Here he is on Spotify.

Should make you happy.

Nope, work from home, prefer to stay home, and wore masks when things were really bad. And a good helping of luck.

Covid. First time.

Some good viral marketing right there!

Back pain is just terrible. Keeps you from moving, and the pain makes you feel useless.

Sorry you’re struggling. I don’t know shit about replacing a toilet but I’d help if I were nearby.

Yes, I have had it for 30 years.

My car broke down one night after dropping a friend off at his place.

I was about ten miles from home in a very hilly area.

A guy in a car around my size pulled over, pulled out a tow strap, and carefully got me home, even though the strap came off every other turn or so.

I tipped him with the rest of the meager cash I has.

A few weeks later he dropped by and asked me to sign up for his pyramid scheme. But the nice driver part was days earlier, I don’t hold that against him.

I live in northern Minnesota. We understand that if someone is on the side of the road - especially in winter - that can be a crisis.

I have never been roadside in Minnesota while waiting for a tow truck without multiple people stopping to see if I’m okay.

We look after each other, but this was an exceptional story.

Also had a guy find me with a flat who had an air tank in his car, but it was empty. So he took us with him to get air and then filled my tire up and stayed with me and my wife until he was sure it was properly filled. Wasn’t even winter, just cold and rainy.

I remember on our bus ride to school we passed an old store that had, spray painted on the side, “Forgive them, Lord, for they know not what they do.”

Months went by and I’d ponder that a bit when we passed it, until someone updated the old quote.

“Forgive them, Lord, for they know not what they doo-doo.”

In the late 80s I ended up on a bus from North Minneapolis to South Minneapolis at around 9pm after a school play.

With me were my sister and several of our friends.

I’ll never know if this was in any way an out of the ordinary ride for the time and place. For context, we are all 13-15 years old, all white kids.

1. A middle-aged black man holding a very small suitcase gets on and walks to the very back of the bus, sitting next to one of my sisters friends. Out of his jacket he pulls a few red roses and hands them to her. He then begins to flirt with her, angering other passengers and causing the bus driver to scream at him and kick him off.

2. A fight breaks out in the front of the bus. Everyone, including the driver and the couple fighting, are laughing. Then one stumbles into the driver and they get kicked off.

3. A drunk man comes and sits next to me and my friend Nick. Nick and I are chatting about a game, probably Warhammer Fantasy.

The man asks Nick for a favor.

“What?”

“Teach me your language.”

“What??”

“Teach me Russian.”

“I don’t know Russian!”

“Teach me anyway.”

That’s it. Of all of those I’m now sure the drunk guy was just deliberately fucking with us. But we also all made it home safely. Just a little window into 80s Minneapolis night life.

Encarta it!

Or “defenestracies”.

Extremely lucky, especially given I’m kind of a hermit.

I read all about the epidemic of loneliness and wonder how I didn’t fall into that trap.

Hell yeah. My family is weird and fun.

I play in a weekly D&D game with my dad, aunt, uncle, and cousin’s husband. We all have weird craft habits.

Then I married into a massive family of very decent people. My brother in law adopted three sons before having two of his own. Several of the extended family teach or taught in public schools.

Then there’s my extended family of cool people, friends I’ve curated over decades, most of whom have met my actual biological family.

Takes a lot before I give up on family!

Solipsism.