I just got the text and like so many of my friends, didn’t actually believe it.

I was instantly back in my apartment above Drees, hearing him call up, “Pat! Pat!” to the open window, holding a 12-pack of whatever was on sale at Safeway. “I’ll come down and open the door, just a minute.”

“Oh, you brought us beer,” I say to him, smiling, as I push open the heavy glass door open and let him in.

He looks at me, sheepishly and fully Vern-ly, with that smile he had where his jaw would clench a little and his cheek lift, “oh, um, this is just for me.” …

I went to the VA Nursing home last month, my entire extended family did, to celebrate my Grandmother’s 100th birthday. She’s a “tough old broad” — her words, not mine. She’s in full possession of her faculties, and able to zip around the home faster than anyone.

My grandmother was one of the first women to sign up for The Women’s Army Corps during World War II. “All five of my brothers were doing it, so I wasn’t going to let them go without me.” Her other two sisters stayed behind.

She’s surrounded by other veterans, some even as young as my own dad, all injured, all looking older than they should. They served in different wars, in different branches of the service. Often they’re the last of their family left. The space is well-lit and they’re well cared for. …

All issues of the seminal graphic design magazine by Sean Tejaratchi are now back in print for the first time ever.

Established in 1994, Crap Hound is the seminal mixture of social commentary and somewhat overindulgent graphic design zine edited and designed by Sean Tejaratchi. Sean is more recently known for his excellent work creating LiarTownUSA.

Between a brief introduction and the end credits, Crap Hound is pure imagery.

Each page is filled with high-contrast art, carefully taken from vintage catalogs, advertising, obscure books, and found ephemera. Laid out as they are by Sean’s expert hand, each issue creates an amazing story around different themes. …

Okay, it’s not really me. And it’s not really my friend.

But when my friend (who looks uncannily like the little spoon) sent it to me, I couldn’t stop laughing, it is us.

I haven’t been able to identify the artist yet, but I love the work, and love that entire advertising panels in Swedish subways are dedicated to art like that.

UPDATE: It’s Liv Strömquist’s work. Detailed here: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/nov/02/enjoy-menstruation-subway-stockholm-art-row-liv-stromquist

(Thanks to Reid Beels for letting me know!)

Three years after I decided to go electric, I turned it in at the end of the lease.

I liked this car. I liked it alot.

I had leased it instead of buying it because electric cars were on the verge of the affordable 200-mile range barrier, and I wanted to be sure if anything went wrong with it while I had it, it was on them.

I was covered by free towing and service the whole time I owned it — but I never used either. Going into this whole thing, I thought running out of charge due to limited range would be an issue. But it wasn’t. …

My friend Jessica asked me to write a piece for the zine series Personal Best. Alien She is a traveling art exhibit that features pieces from artists and activists that explores how Riot Grrrl continues to impact them.

I’ve talked myself out of writing this several times, mostly because I kept asking myself “Does the world really need a man’s perspective on Riot Grrl?” and answering “No, of course it doesn’t.”

But the thing is, I really don’t think I’d be who I am without it.

I feel incredibly lucky to have grown up — not from the little-kid-to-adult-kind, but the real growing up you do between 18 and 25 — surrounded by amazing women making music, art and history. …

My wife told me “we have to go to Vinnie’s science fair tonight,” and I just let out a huge, audible sigh. It was a long day and I wasn’t really feeling the walk up to the middle school in the rain to look at an exhibit I saw him crank out in the last minute.

An exhibit that he didn’t really want to do, and only got finished with constant pressuring and a last minute trip to the office for supplies and heavy use of the color printer.

I didn’t really feel like going, too, because I don’t remember my own time in Middle School that fondly, and I honestly don’t really enjoy hobnobbing with other parents I’ve only met twice. …

So, today was weird.

Amber and Vinnie and I were walking from the convention center to downtown. There was a cool LEGO show we’d just spent a few hours at, marveling at people’s creations. We decided to walk over the Steel Bridge because we hadn’t done it in a while.

I had my camera with me, thinking I’d take some fun pictures of my family and the city. I love being a tourist in my own town.

As we were walking across, taking ‘arty’ pictures of the bridge, thinking about where we were going to have breakfast, we noticed a ton of police activity further down the river on the Broadway Bridge. …