tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26233239396642229022024-03-13T17:06:40.412-05:00Dad by Dawn"Even though you are evil, you know how to give good gifts to your children..."Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger631125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-26028088020095171362017-06-17T21:06:00.001-05:002017-06-17T21:07:19.649-05:00Life is a Rollercoaster<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://d.yipitcdn.com/thumbor/TIW7lHBfw6LkneRKmcFC04CHuUI=/1014x400/d.yipitcdn.com/nationbiz/valleyfair-1379517711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="800" height="157" src="https://d.yipitcdn.com/thumbor/TIW7lHBfw6LkneRKmcFC04CHuUI=/1014x400/d.yipitcdn.com/nationbiz/valleyfair-1379517711.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Tomorrow is both Father's Day and Natalie's birthday, making it nine years to the day since I became a dad. That's a long time! The crazier thing is that nine years from <i>now</i> she will be turning eighteen and might be packing up to leave for college in the fall.<br />
<br />
So we're about halfway done with this one. Besides that she'll be ten next year (double digits!), a teenager in four, able to drive a car in seven. And Paisley's only four and a half years behind. I can't help but think of their childhoods as just rushing by while I do my best to hold on.<br />
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Speaking of which--segue!--we're going to Valleyfair tomorrow to celebrate. Jenna and the kids have season passes so they can entertain themselves while I'm working summer weekends. I actually have the day off after working, technically, 18 days in a row. Time to see if I can still hang with the rollercoaster crowd or if I'm ready to retire to the Ferris wheel.Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-4585490900488316442017-05-23T10:11:00.000-05:002017-05-23T10:11:37.394-05:00Greenspring Media 3 Year Retrospective<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheD3EnqyLF5ptRLBS2wkUlGKewDzxBf9q4msdp62BYWRZ-T9Bko0AyfoURQVKTf0aft2eJOmrlgmcf-dhOhfNuCQHDKRwQONZO20Ni8sIPgFIQwvhoR5F4V5VrVRmGzJQAXrCV06l8yWl2/s1600/Grill+Fest+2017-0103Grill+Fest+2017-0103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheD3EnqyLF5ptRLBS2wkUlGKewDzxBf9q4msdp62BYWRZ-T9Bko0AyfoURQVKTf0aft2eJOmrlgmcf-dhOhfNuCQHDKRwQONZO20Ni8sIPgFIQwvhoR5F4V5VrVRmGzJQAXrCV06l8yWl2/s320/Grill+Fest+2017-0103Grill+Fest+2017-0103.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I've been working full-time (and then some) managing events for Greenspring Media for over three years. Yet somehow I've only mentioned the company by name once, <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2014/12/2014-wrap-up.html">when I was hired</a>. Seems like time for a recap!<br />
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My time here has actually come full circle this year. There was <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2014/03/how-i-got-job.html">an opening</a> for me because the previous event manager had left after 17 years. The first Greenspring event I managed was the <i>Minnesota Monthly</i> GrillFest in 2014. And now, just before the 2017 GrillFest, my manager Sara quit after 11 years with the company.<br />
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So this year's GrillFest--my fourth--was my first event as the senior-ranking event person at Greenspring Media. Plus, we introduced three new events in 2016 in addition to our five major recurring shows and they're all coming back, so this year is looking pretty busy. #eventlifeAndy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-88372234701494168752017-04-10T09:55:00.002-05:002017-04-10T09:56:03.421-05:00Eat All The Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCIyDcV2Rq3KHEq8cg3ssJbtE72JC82dIaavCLPUTNPIMFs2FmBE5VklYl2RXQSvHgNRSniFa5IWCZ4Q04H_vRPZ92T5XLvKamOz8l04k2HZgWY-mGTtPBKR-WnF10SchoWD6Mm7zxDFQy/s1600/i-regret-nothing-cat-eating-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCIyDcV2Rq3KHEq8cg3ssJbtE72JC82dIaavCLPUTNPIMFs2FmBE5VklYl2RXQSvHgNRSniFa5IWCZ4Q04H_vRPZ92T5XLvKamOz8l04k2HZgWY-mGTtPBKR-WnF10SchoWD6Mm7zxDFQy/s320/i-regret-nothing-cat-eating-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I reviewed my <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2015/01/eat-it-2015.html">2015 Food Wishlist</a> and realized there are favorite foods on it that I <i>still</i> haven't eaten over the past two years! I did consume:<br />
<ol>
<li>Affogato (Some place in Door County, WI) </li>
<li>Cronut (Angel Food Bakery) </li>
<li>Takoyaki (Zen Box) </li>
<li>Fish & Chips (a few times, still haven't been to Anchor tho) </li>
<li>Morels (the forest, plus some Chanterelles too!) </li>
<li>Genever (got a bottle at home) </li>
<li>Caipirinha (Fogo de Chão) </li>
</ol>
They were all delicious but half my list remains untasted. To live my best life I need to find a way to eat/drink crepes, udon, okonomiyaki, korokke, and Absinthe. A good Japanese restaurant could knock out at least three of the five.<i> <a href="https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/itadakimasu-meaning/">Itadakimasu!</a></i>Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-14595515563500994412017-04-10T09:54:00.000-05:002017-04-10T09:54:29.626-05:00The Limits of Thrift<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVu3XNpIIMaMKCEabZHtyE6-jGFIBtZ-HtYObxt_NP6z-3EbPdHvsCyg7a1t9pzF59EWAFu0LvczvOPqtnSn7SNjHZzDcNS2liGzBTAEn5kF42WmJG-kO_XBNVEE_SOIpzNC2QNIplz3mp/s1600/6344982937_33fb5de9cf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVu3XNpIIMaMKCEabZHtyE6-jGFIBtZ-HtYObxt_NP6z-3EbPdHvsCyg7a1t9pzF59EWAFu0LvczvOPqtnSn7SNjHZzDcNS2liGzBTAEn5kF42WmJG-kO_XBNVEE_SOIpzNC2QNIplz3mp/s320/6344982937_33fb5de9cf.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
After all these years, I still love thrift shopping for clothes. In the past it was a cheap way to experiment with new looks and learn what I liked. These days it's rare that I find something to meet my <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2016/02/capsule-wardrobe.html">stringent guidelines</a> but those holy grail moments make the hunt worthwhile.<br />
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Sadly, though, some things are nigh impossible to find secondhand. For those basic pieces I've started investing in real actual new clothes, sometimes at full retail prices (<i>quelle horreur!</i>) but usually discounted. One example is my <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2017/02/body-movin.html">world-beating socks</a>, since almost <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2016/06/in-praise-of-used-clothes.html">all clothing is better secondhand</a> but I won't do unpackaged underwear or foot coverings. I even walked into Brooks Brothers and purchased new dress shirts, a move that would have been unthinkable to Past Andy. Then again my whole relationship with clothes has changed immeasurably, and all for the better.<br />
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Shoes are another black swan. Although I've been lucky enough to find a few pairs at massive markdowns, a new Allen Edmonds shoe is a long-term investment. And that's the beauty part: with a curated closet half-full of only clothes that I wear frequently, those new pieces eventually acquire the patina that marks them as beloved friends.Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-48801688303975072492017-02-22T08:54:00.001-06:002017-02-22T09:11:37.787-06:00Body Movin'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhHYXzKm7VQc08oIYP8yoyK4WyQ_Mqo8lqf12YGzMNlthtpQfoKQk-WvZHSB-qS1H75Lon5GrH-obocs_mbpI5zL0JGf_5jJepBOG37MUJfFcS1pnE4E5PptaQj_Ztjto-YkY1Q63yMVN/s1600/Darn-Tough-sock-side-726x393.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhHYXzKm7VQc08oIYP8yoyK4WyQ_Mqo8lqf12YGzMNlthtpQfoKQk-WvZHSB-qS1H75Lon5GrH-obocs_mbpI5zL0JGf_5jJepBOG37MUJfFcS1pnE4E5PptaQj_Ztjto-YkY1Q63yMVN/s320/Darn-Tough-sock-side-726x393.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I have been <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene">practicing Yoga regularly at home</a> for the past three months, which might be the longest I've stuck with it consistently. The main benefit this time has been overall body awareness. I'm more in tune with my breath and my posture and have learned things about my physical body that somehow I hadn't figured out yet in 36 years.<br />
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For example, I know what shape my feet are now. I realized that although my right foot is longer, it's also narrower. It doesn't fit snugly in the heel, which means there's more friction, which means my foot hurts after wearing grown-up shoes for a few hours. I've had this problem for years but never understood the symptoms until recently... and now I have a solution!<br />
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<a href="https://darntough.com/">Darn Tough</a> socks changed my life. Not only do my feet not hurt at the end of a long day but they don't even stink. I feel like this is another epiphany I'm having <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2016/02/capsule-wardrobe.html">later than most professional adults</a> but now that I'm on the wool socks tip I don't want to wear anything else. Plus they're made in the USA and guaranteed for life. What's not to love?Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-8840785613433870192017-02-21T09:06:00.001-06:002017-02-21T09:06:22.997-06:002016 Annual ReportI didn't post much this year so there's more ground to cover here than usual!<br />
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<b>Animals</b><br />
A fish and bird died but we <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2016/09/cat-stravaganza.html">adopted a cat</a>, so overall we came out ahead on pets.<br />
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<b>Books</b><br />
Natalie is a reading machine! Faves this year: Bone, Smile, Calvin & Hobbes, and Garfield.<br />
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<b>Crafts</b><br />
Our shows were bad for sales of Angleworm Embroidery products, but great for everyone else.<br />
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<b>Diet</b><br />
Maybe it's my age but I've started eating slightly better--no more instant ramen for me.<br />
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<b>Events</b><br />
We did our usual craft stuff and added several new events at my day job--busy year for events!<br />
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<b>Foraging</b><br />
I had an okay season for morels, ate my first wild <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2016/08/pop-up-camping.html">chanterelles</a> and found my first amanita.<br />
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<b>Gaming</b><br />
I dove deep into <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2016/04/games-about-staying-home.html">Stardew Valley</a> and became a Pokémon Go master.<br />
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<b>Hand Modeling</b><br />
My photogenic fingers appeared in a <a href="http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/Health-Wellness/Financial-Planning-for-Later-in-Life/"><i>Minnesota Monthly </i>feature</a>. It's becoming a trend!<br />
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<b>Interests</b><br />
I <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2016/09/requiem-for-podcast.html">stopped podcasting</a> myself and picked up yoga again. I might be done with embroidery too.<br />
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<b>Jenna</b><br />
The moon of my life.<br />
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<b>Kids</b><br />
<a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2016/09/offspring-update.html">My sun and stars.</a><br />
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<b>Lake Home </b><br />
<a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2016/06/lake-home-no-more.html">No more</a> :(<br />
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<b>Mentorship</b><br />
I officially become a Sunday School teacher for third graders, and a confirmation class mentor.<br />
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<b>Natalie</b><br />
Got a 3DS with Pokemon Sun for Christmas; new favorite daddy-daughter activity.<br />
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<b>Opt-Out</b><br />
In February I took <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2016/02/bnm-2016.html">a break from consumerism</a> again and it felt real good.<br />
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<b>Paisley</b><br />
Watched her first movie theater feature: Moana! Soundtrack is on constant rotation.<br />
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<b>Quitting</b><br />
<a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2016/09/requiem-for-podcast.html">RIP podcasting</a>, 2014-2016<br />
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<b>Remodeling</b><br />
We finally insulated a janky corner of our house and tore out a deck. Jenna painted.<br />
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<b>Speaking</b><br />
I recorded a <a href="http://prohumans.com/episode-34-passion-project-real-job-w-andy-krueger/">podcast</a> with Josh and Elly on Professional Humans. We talked about crafts and stuff.<br />
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<b>Tidying Up</b><br />
Keeping only the objects that <a href="http://tidyingup.com/">spark joy</a> has been life-changing magic in our home.<br />
<b><br />
Unmotivated to put up many blog posts</b><br />
Full disclosure, "U" was the last letter I filled in. Started drafting last year, posted February 21.<br />
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<b>Vacation</b><br />
We took a few trips in the <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2016/08/pop-up-camping.html">pop-up camper</a>, including a week in Door County, WI.<br />
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<b>Wardrobe</b><br />
I figured out how to buy and wear <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2016/02/capsule-wardrobe.html">clothes</a>. <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2016/06/in-praise-of-used-clothes.html">Thrift shopping</a> can't be beat.<br />
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<b>X, Y, Z </b>done, goodnight everybody!Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-8283360890601140892016-11-09T09:50:00.000-06:002016-11-09T09:50:28.606-06:00We'll see<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.jaodb.com/db/Images/Obata_Chiura/Obata_Chiura-No_Series-Lively_Horse-00043940-120518-F12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.jaodb.com/db/Images/Obata_Chiura/Obata_Chiura-No_Series-Lively_Horse-00043940-120518-F12.jpg" height="246" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Once upon a time, there was a farmer in the central region of China. He didn't have a lot of money and, instead of a tractor, he used an old horse to plow his field. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">One afternoon, while working in the field, the horse dropped dead. Everyone in the village said, "Oh, what a horrible thing to happen." The farmer said simply, "We'll see." He was so at peace and so calm, that everyone in the village got together and, admiring his attitude, gave him a new horse as a gift. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Everyone's reaction now was, "What a lucky man." And the farmer said, "We'll see." </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">A couple days later, the new horse jumped a fence and ran away. Everyone in the village shook their heads and said, "What a poor fellow!"</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">The farmer smiled and said, "We'll see."</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Eventually, the horse found his way home, and everyone again said, "What a fortunate man." </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">The farmer said, "We'll see."</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Later in the year, the farmer's young boy went out riding on the horse and fell and broke his leg. Everyone in the village said, "What a shame for the poor boy."</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">The farmer said, "We'll see."</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Two days later, the army came into the village to draft new recruits. When they saw that the farmer's son had a broken leg, they decided not to recruit him.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Everyone said, "What a fortunate young man."</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">The farmer smiled again - and said "We'll see."</span>Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-64601038740134785982016-09-23T13:33:00.000-05:002016-09-23T13:33:07.223-05:00Requiem for a Podcast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjEaSoMMsDS2hHt-_tskIYHGKwlfOwiw4tvlZ7uoV_lkJCwpOOPUmFfUgBXh90_IM9ViF4aRcPIrvRc2IPM9qQmme0TjkATY0Q3rYT5ZklybTv_i2WXDxhqsIyGj_PvxXCVuC8pMyPxOo/s1600/requiescat-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjEaSoMMsDS2hHt-_tskIYHGKwlfOwiw4tvlZ7uoV_lkJCwpOOPUmFfUgBXh90_IM9ViF4aRcPIrvRc2IPM9qQmme0TjkATY0Q3rYT5ZklybTv_i2WXDxhqsIyGj_PvxXCVuC8pMyPxOo/s320/requiescat-large.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Two years ago I was excited to start <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2014/06/weekly-planner-podcast.html">a podcast</a> and I really did it. I recorded 44 episodes, each with different guests, and those episodes got downloaded over 2,400 times (average ~54.5 per episode which is not great, tbh). I published my last episode in January of this year and then quietly put the whole project on ice while I considered what to do next.<br />
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By now it's safe to say that I won't be making any more (but <a href="http://weeklyplanner.libsyn.com/">you can still listen</a>, at least for now!) so I'm writing this post-mortem to remember what I learned from this endeavor. First, the good things: I met interesting people and had fun talking with them! That was my primary goal and I achieved it, so that was great. But my secondary goal, to build an audience by getting people to share it with new listeners, did not go so great.<br />
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Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for everyone who listened to the show, and the few who followed up to tell me they enjoyed it. And I'm super grateful to the interviewees who took the time to sit down and talk with me. But otherwise, I got practically no engagement by the metrics needed to make a podcast successful--not a single review, even by my guests (no hard feelings, and it turns out <a href="https://medium.com/@slowerdawn/how-podcasts-have-changed-in-ten-years-by-the-numbers-720a6e984e4e#.zh32ux5dj">this is pretty typical</a>).<br />
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Even that was no problem while I enjoyed the process, but eventually the novelty wore off and it didn't feel worthwhile any more. Each episode took around an hour to record and maybe two hours to edit and post online. Three hours doesn't seem like much, but that turns out to be practically all my free time for a week, and I didn't love it enough for this to be my only hobby. Plus I wasn't just worried about wasting my own time, but my guests'... if nobody was going to listen, what was the point of recording?<br />
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Anyway, ultimately it was <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Its-All-Too-Much-Living/dp/0743292650">all too much</a> so I quit. I was conflicted at first but now I'm confident that this was the right decision. In conclusion, it was fun while it lasted (and I stuck it out longer than average: <a href="https://medium.com/@slowerdawn/how-podcasts-have-changed-in-ten-years-by-the-numbers-720a6e984e4e#.zh32ux5dj">most podcasts don't last more than six months before shutting down</a>). I guess I'll keep on starting new projects forever and never stick with anything long term! (Except for my wife, my kids, my house, my pets, my day job, my craft job... you know what, maybe I do have enough going on already after all.)Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-20019472484299304422016-09-16T13:48:00.002-05:002017-02-22T08:56:42.673-06:00Cat-stravaganzaWe adopted a kitty! Chi is an approximately two-year-old <a href="http://www.catster.com/cat-breeds/Domestic_Shorthair">Domestic Shorthair</a> who we met at the Golden Valley Animal Humane Society. She chose me by shaking my hand when I knelt down to pet her, then walking onto my legs and jumping on my shoulders to nuzzle. She's a cuddler.<br />
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She is also a crier and this has not endeared her to Jenna, especially at nights. In hindsight it may have been foolish to bring home a needy pet <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2016/03/a-day-in-life.html">just as we were starting to get a full night's sleep</a> again after eight years of human babies. I still love her though. How can you stay mad at this face?<br />
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The best(?) part about cat ownership is that I now have an excuse to make lots of handcrafted toys and pet furniture. I built Chi a feeding puzzle so that she can burn some energy working for her food, and this nice modern scratching bed. My miter saw suffered a critical failure but I hope to fix or replace it soon and get back to work on the next project!<br />
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<br />Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-30744488725331190632016-09-16T11:34:00.000-05:002016-09-16T11:45:34.961-05:00Offspring Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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With both the girls heading back to school, it's a good time to catch up on how they've been doing lately. Natalie is in third grade now, the last year of lower elementary, and Paisley will be starting Kindergarten next fall. It's a big transition for them and even more for Jenna, who suddenly has whole hours to herself each day!<br />
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For me, of course, there's practically no difference. Paisley is an early bird like me so we usually eat breakfast together before I go to work on weekdays. Then I come home in the evening and we all play until the dinner-bath-bedtime sequence begins. I guess we can throw "help with homework" in there more as Natalie gets older but that's about it.<br />
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What else can I say about my daughters? They're both perfect angels! Paisley's old enough that we can sort of play family board games together and she can mostly follow along, which I've been anticipating for a long time. But playing pretend is still their favorite thing to do with me, whether we're role-playing <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Chis-Sweet-Home-Kanata-Konami/dp/1934287814">Chi's Sweet Home</a>, pet store, or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjyL2Wooh9Q">Pokemon</a> (almost always <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJjeesteTEg">Pokemon</a>). Whatever it is, is fine with me; the important thing is that they want to be together and I'm just soaking that up while I can.Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-72606473009873223752016-08-29T14:55:00.002-05:002016-08-29T14:56:51.599-05:00Pop-Up Camping<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Jenna's family got a small pop-up trailer 25 years ago that they used for family vacations, and now we are using it as our own! Last year we went on several weekend camping trips but I, weirdly, did not write about any of them here. We took four more trips in 2016.<br />
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I was raised as a tent camper so the idea of sleeping in a structure with electricity and running water was foreign to me at first. It's starting to grow on me, though, and it's probably easier for the kids. We get a little bit of "roughing it" and a little bit of comfort all in one.<br />
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My favorite outing this year was a week-long visit to Door County. I found mushrooms growing in our shaded site, we visited friends, and everybody enjoyed the laid-back island lifestyle. Then again, my criteria for successful camping are simple:<br />
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<li>Drink some beers</li>
<li>Make a fire</li>
<li>Enjoy!</li>
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Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-32821282293199052042016-06-28T12:25:00.000-05:002016-06-29T11:30:15.549-05:00Lake Home No More<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On the last weekend of May I visited the Krueger ancestral lake home with Jenna, the kids, and my parents. They sold it to new owners and were closing the next week so it was our last chance to visit. The house had been in our family since 1968--my whole life and then some!<br />
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It was a bittersweet vacation but I'm very glad we went. We did our best to soak in all the joys of cabin life and visited our favorite Douglas County attractions. Cheese curds & root beer float at A&W on the way up; book, antique, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/alexhiddentreasures">weirdo nerd stores</a> in downtown Alexandria; ice cream & Ms. Pac-Man at Little Dipper (I <i>destroyed</i> my <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2012/09/labor-day-weekend.html">high score from 2012</a>, while holding a licorice-flavored cone); the cemetery where my grandparents are buried. Of course we made fires and took a boat out on the lake and looked for mushrooms and saw eagles and loons. We also attended an estate sale auction and I held an AK-47.<br />
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I'm sad to see the lake home go. But now we can explore new destinations and make new memories on our family excursions. We already have four camping trips on the calendar for this summer and who knows all the places we'll go? <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Oh-Places-Youll-Dr-Seuss/dp/0679805273">“It's opener, out there, in the wide, open air.” </a>Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-91270146599287885322016-06-28T09:24:00.002-05:002016-06-28T09:25:11.650-05:00In praise of used clothes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"No holes, no spots, and quite respectable, although a little worn; and a waistcoat to match, quite in the fashion. And its being worn really is an improvement, it's softer, smoother...."<br />
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-Dmitri Prokofych Razumikhin</div>
Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-65552562491505131952016-05-19T11:48:00.000-05:002016-05-20T15:27:46.061-05:002016 St. Paul Craftstravaganza<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Or, "the day I didn't sell anything"</div>
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Our 11th annual Craftstravaganza was a good event, like usual. The weather cooperated, only one artist out of 90 didn't make it, and several old friends showed up. It's always great to check out our new participants' work and visit with returning artists, and I took home a few goodies for myself (I'm really into ceramics lately). These are the things we love about doing the show. But it was all overshadowed for me personally by the fact that I didn't sell a single piece of embroidery.<br />
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Now, this isn't a big deal overall: the booth is free for me so if I make zero dollars I still break even. But it is a bit discouraging, so I'm contemplating some changes for my stitching business, the main one being that I need to open an online shop. Our friend <a href="http://www.everthinejewelry.com/">Aisha</a> recommended the Square platform and that's what I used! You can see my new <a href="https://squareup.com/store/angleworm">Angleworm Embroidery shop</a> now!!!<br />
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By the way, our kids came to the show this year and Natalie selected one of my hoops (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/7lk1OdnoOV/?taken-by=angleworme">Chun-Li</a>) to bring home with her. When it was over we were talking about how nobody bought anything else and she wanted to pay me for it! So I did end up making back $1 of my own money in change from a very cute and generous little customer.Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-60799987710544589752016-04-12T15:58:00.002-05:002017-02-22T09:10:11.800-06:00Games about staying home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I grew up playing the Pokemon series of games, and the formula for each is predictable. They are coming-of-age stories where a young boy or girl leaves home on their own, travels the land, and has adventures. It's a common structure for video games <a href="http://www.thewritersjourney.com/hero's_journey.htm">and really all fiction</a>. But my kids don't like it.<br />
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Pokemon Red/Blue was released in 1998 when I was 17 years old, and I first tried to interest Natalie in Pokemon X/Y when she was 5 or 6. She kind of enjoyed exploring, battling, and collecting pocket monsters, but most of all she wanted to go back to the beginning of the game, to her home. It's counter to the design of the game and there's no in-game reason for you to make this trip back: your mother barely acknowledges your presence. But obviously the desire to return had nothing to do with game mechanics and everything to do with how she felt.<br />
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Recently I bought a game called Stardew Valley and the kids are fascinated to watch me play it. As much as I've tried to interest them in other games in the past, this one has grabbed their attention so much that they actually ask me to play it, and watch intently while I do. It seems most of the reason for its appeal is that Stardew Valley is all about living a quiet life on a farm, raising livestock, making friends... not your typical action-packed video game nonsense.<br />
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It got me to thinking about other games I love that are basically about staying at home and not doing anything heroic. My good friend Laurie introduced me to Harvest Moon (the series Stardew Valley is based on), and I played a lot of Animal Crossing on the GameCube my senior year of college. I play my share of violent AAA games but I'm sure glad these other games exist. Not to mention my tolerance for stress and frustration, and interest in pretending to shoot people, keeps waning the older I get. When I get tired of murdering bad guys I just need to spend some time in virtual nature and relax with my imaginary friends.Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-23352322265043117222016-03-24T14:39:00.002-05:002016-03-24T14:39:39.075-05:00A Day in the Life6:00 - Alarm wakes me up. Paisley is finally sleeping through the night! Now, for the first time in eight years, I'm finally getting a full night's uninterrupted sleep.<br />
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6:45-ish - Paisley might wake up and join me for a breakfast of chocolate (Nutella) toast, or else I'll get ready in the dark and silence.<br />
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7:00 - Leave home and drive two miles to the bus stop.<br />
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7:11 - Bus leaves the station. I've always got a book or two in my bag to keep me busy. The express library at Carver Station (for drop-offs AND automated pickup) is one of my favorite things.<br />
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8:00 - The bus drops me off in downtown Minneapolis right outside the front door of my building, like as unto a veritable KING OF PUBLIC TRANSIT. I climb stairs up to the tenth floor and get straight to work.<br />
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8:30 - Coffee break.<br />
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11:00? (or as soon as I can reasonably justify it) - Lunch time!!<br />
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4:03 - Time to catch the express bus back home. Mostly I read on the bus, sometimes I nap; occasionally I start with the former and segue into the latter. Luckily I ride until the end of the line so there's no worry about missing my stop!<br />
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5:00 - Home again, I take over on parenting duty. I change into my soft clothes, put away my phone (ideally), and switch to dad mode. Some days I have a new book from the library and Natalie disappears until she has read the whole thing. Otherwise we all pretend to be animals, or play hide-and-seek, or whatever the girls can agree on that day.<br />
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6:00 - Dinner time! Usually Jenna cooks while I play with the kids, so we get a solid hour of bonding time before eating together. Well, we sit down together, anyway. Natalie and Paisley still won't eat anything.<br />
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7:00 - The kids go into the tub and we watch <a href="http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/steven-universe/">Steven Universe</a> on the iPad. Maybe I do a little embroidery. Maybe, just maybe, I even bathe them and wash their hair, but nobody likes doing that so we usually put it off until Jenna forces the issue.<br />
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7:45 - We put on pajamas and brush our teeth. I used to skip nighttime brushing until I had the brilliant idea to do it at the same time I was forcing my kids to. <a href="http://gretchenrubin.com/happiness_project/2014/07/my-new-book-about-habit-formation-as-distilled-in-21-sentences/">New habit achieved!</a><br />
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8:00 - The children disperse for their separate bedtime routines. Natalie reads patiently while I read Paisley a story (often the same one for many nights in a row), tuck her in, pray, sing 'Twinkle Twinkle,' and do <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caracal">shadow puppets</a>. I ask her to try not peeing in her diaper tonight.<br />
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8:15 - Paisley is probably not asleep yet and might call for me again, but now it's Natalie's turn for daddy-daughter time. I read her the next chapter of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chis-Sweet-Home-Kanata-Konami/dp/1934287814">Chi's Sweet Home</a>, which she has already done herself many times, but it's new to me. After I say a prayer out loud she likes to add something in her head, then 'You Are My Sunshine' (<a href="http://www.grandparents.com/grandkids/activities-games-and-crafts/you-are-my-sunshine">just the chorus</a>), and snuggling.<br />
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8:?? - On-call for nighttime emergencies, I wait in the master bedroom and amuse myself with some combination of Netflix, podcasts, and embroidery. If I'm very lucky and determined I can do about an hour of stitching per night which is almost enough to halfway finish a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/angleworme/">teeny street fighter</a>.<br />
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9:00 - Once the kids are sound asleep I get to spend some time with my wife. If she's still awake I can find out what she's been up to and maybe even have a real conversation. If she goes to bed early it's time to play <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alOD36LdoY4">videogames</a>!<br />
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10:00 - Lights out, good night.Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-42673270958734606202016-02-10T15:27:00.004-06:002016-02-10T15:27:50.233-06:00Happy Ash Wednesday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyFWrUQz0ewoA4acyFsi7ZxcYtTxuGaWOlnyYQi4EgNJquUtu6Sehg5j6DcJX9Gt4L-hgSLKgtqwe0raE1c9jCa20J12q0dipBCl_GVnKPw_B8isyiNGTeJJANDCiZdqiilJwVzeGmtJF/s1600/Ash-ash-ketchum-17729805-640-480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyFWrUQz0ewoA4acyFsi7ZxcYtTxuGaWOlnyYQi4EgNJquUtu6Sehg5j6DcJX9Gt4L-hgSLKgtqwe0raE1c9jCa20J12q0dipBCl_GVnKPw_B8isyiNGTeJJANDCiZdqiilJwVzeGmtJF/s320/Ash-ash-ketchum-17729805-640-480.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's been a few years since I posted this. What time is it? It's...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQUg3Sse-bDCQAg5pqaKINMRjShV8ATChmMVY2z3CHwU5XclVeTGS_tRmfG_vNjLSTuZjZm7yW1UKcByIfnxW8PZvLAEUTO9x4hXQsN9oMfMjtMtQgQOKVqUM6wXZNuH5dFBXaIuNKRqY/s1600/lent_time.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQUg3Sse-bDCQAg5pqaKINMRjShV8ATChmMVY2z3CHwU5XclVeTGS_tRmfG_vNjLSTuZjZm7yW1UKcByIfnxW8PZvLAEUTO9x4hXQsN9oMfMjtMtQgQOKVqUM6wXZNuH5dFBXaIuNKRqY/s1600/lent_time.png" height="111" width="320" /></a></div>
Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-91402017112667077002016-02-10T12:20:00.001-06:002016-02-10T12:36:20.686-06:00Capsule Wardrobe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4RXt_5zS3-orgmswUwwL-jCtDV0fqdLkJpd3uXvcBMJjiJzqgTAlJ-zhgXebRTbrvBdd527BLt4xeacoHE_AgyfwKo1THc2XVkavDBRsojZTo31qw6TmwE4_2zeaKET7yyBAbrlJjOltm/s1600/cc1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4RXt_5zS3-orgmswUwwL-jCtDV0fqdLkJpd3uXvcBMJjiJzqgTAlJ-zhgXebRTbrvBdd527BLt4xeacoHE_AgyfwKo1THc2XVkavDBRsojZTo31qw6TmwE4_2zeaKET7yyBAbrlJjOltm/s320/cc1.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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I didn't have a healthy relationship with clothing until relatively late in life. 2013, the year I turned 32, was <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2013/05/2013-flashback.html">the first time I felt confident in my selection</a> of grown-up clothes (my wardrobe before then--especially my college years--is a whole other post). In 2014 I congratulated myself for filling my closet with <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2014/08/full-thrift.html">thrift shop finds</a>. Last year I got more picky about what I brought home and purchased a few high-end new items. This year it's time to do some serious editing. </div>
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A few recent developments have inspired me to curate a minimalist wardrobe. Jenna and I read <a href="http://tidyingup.com/">The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up</a> and we began to seriously tackle household clutter together. We've <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2008/08/unclutterer.html">done this before</a>, and <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2009/01/resolved.html">clean house</a> regularly, but found fresh inspiration and great results with the patented <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/23/garden/home-organization-advice-from-marie-kondo.html">KonMari method</a> and her enchanted question, "does it spark joy?"</div>
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Years of research and experimentation have honed my personal style. I have developed strict, solid guidelines for adding new pieces (or more often, not). New clothes go on a wishlist where I can take my time deciding if they're truly essential, then buy only when they go on sale. I still love thrift shopping but I'm taking home fewer, higher-quality things. I can shop a lot faster now, too!</div>
Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-5199604683676788172016-02-04T15:11:00.000-06:002016-02-04T15:18:58.692-06:00BNM 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7skKdPPBRWBQFB0_QpqZ7CNMsA4Vf4-DPX8GOzV2B9ZY-gAtK3zLLn_nfpDzKvCJqewuz6kjjCgZ1tO_jYpUutEY7jnMFMMjjExcAYvwXpYsiDZBtL46GEz0UgUvS98BH3yvJGgIQIgj/s1600/Lippi_Filippo_Fra-ZZZ-Vision_of_St_Augustine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7skKdPPBRWBQFB0_QpqZ7CNMsA4Vf4-DPX8GOzV2B9ZY-gAtK3zLLn_nfpDzKvCJqewuz6kjjCgZ1tO_jYpUutEY7jnMFMMjjExcAYvwXpYsiDZBtL46GEz0UgUvS98BH3yvJGgIQIgj/s400/Lippi_Filippo_Fra-ZZZ-Vision_of_St_Augustine.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">"Desire hath no rest, is infinite in itself, endless, and as one calls it, a perpetual rack, or horse-mill." --St. Augustine</span><br />
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Buy-Nothing Month is a tradition going back now five years, but not observed* consistently. I was inspired to <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2012/01/buy-nothing-month.html">start in 2012</a>, <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2013/02/bnm-2013.html">continued in 2013</a> and quietly abandoned it for no particular reason in 14/15. This year I'm picking it up again and starting with a meditation on what this "holiday" means to me.<br />
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To recap, BNM is an arbitrary period of time--traditionally February--when I don't spend anything on myself beyond our regular bills and basic survival (e.g. groceries OK, restaurants no way). The truth is, since Jenna handles our budget and does shopping for the family, there's no reason outside of an emergency that I have to touch any money all month. Because I secretly feel like I <i>could</i> be a monk, this is one of a few ways I practice a small part of their lifestyle for a short while. And you know what? It feels <i>great</i>.<br />
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When I give up acquiring stuff as a possibility, the result is deeper contentment with my life. A surprisingly large amount of mental space is freed to concentrate on other thoughts instead of planning my next purchase. I appreciate what I have. Turns out, it's not the physical act of not-buying that produces these results, as much as breaking the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedonic_treadmill">hedonic treadmill</a> that drives most of our lives (related to the Buddhist concept of <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dukkha">viparinama-dukkha</a>:</i> the anxiety of holding onto desirable things and frustration of not getting what you want).<br />
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In the past when I felt compelled to blog frequently I amused myself by posting drawings of stuff I wanted to buy. That practice <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2012/02/buy-nothing-update.html">turned out to be counter-productive</a> so I quit. This year instead I am supplanting the buying habit with meditation practice. Not very exciting to write about, but of course, that's because <a href="http://www.calm.com/">calm</a> is the entire point. Peace out everyone.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*I originally wrote "celebrated" there, which is by no means incorrect w/r/t the deeper joy that I often sense during this season, although not quite right to express the tone of my daily life as experienced in the thick of it.</span>Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-82952462671550378552015-12-29T14:46:00.000-06:002016-05-20T11:05:13.287-05:002015 end-of-year postThe annual post is a tradition, so here I am again to reflect on the year that is ending, as a personal exercise more than anything else.<br />
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In hindsight 2015 feels primarily like a year of stability for me and my family. <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2015/04/lola-memorial.html">We lost a beloved pet</a> (whose time had come), but not any human family members. I'm still working at the same job where I started in 2014. We took over a craft fair in summer, but that was organic growth and not a disruptive shift. I <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2015/05/morel-hunting-crib-sheet.html">hunted down and consumed mushrooms</a> like usual. We continued work on our house that has been on the to-do list since we <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2010/05/epic-moving-post.html">moved in</a> five years ago. <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2015/01/eat-it-2015.html">I ate all the food</a>.<br />
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I wrote about my <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2015/11/2015-minneapolis-craftza.html">one big change</a> of producing inventory and tabling as an artist at my craft fairs, although even that activity seemed inevitable and a long time coming. I was a <a href="http://www.bushconnect.org/speakers/andy-krueger">session presenter</a> at this year's bushCON which was fun and exciting but also a repeat of my talk from <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2013/11/ignite-talk-passion-projects.html">Ignite</a>. <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2014/12/2014-wrap-up.html">Compared with last year</a> there were no big surprises and no unwelcome changes. There were also no grand adventures or incredible discoveries... just life, well-lived. And that's OK. The older I get, the more I appreciate this kind of peaceful co-existence and natural personal development.<br />
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Hopefully it's been a good year for you too. Love always and peace,<br />
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AndyAndy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-88292709527077168502015-11-20T09:21:00.001-06:002015-11-20T09:21:44.774-06:002015 Minneapolis Craft'za<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaV_E2nAGdEmzvrOKHXR-bPl3YeLSwu7yzfpZMJZumMvgeZnHUwJ9NW72eDu0N47BsIz8RbOmIFe7ysaP33JhKbYSz2K5f5CH3vuLXiN3gtlKQKVwmCsskX-dcMSyCjyfWg7swzLA75CDW/s1600/IMG_4956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaV_E2nAGdEmzvrOKHXR-bPl3YeLSwu7yzfpZMJZumMvgeZnHUwJ9NW72eDu0N47BsIz8RbOmIFe7ysaP33JhKbYSz2K5f5CH3vuLXiN3gtlKQKVwmCsskX-dcMSyCjyfWg7swzLA75CDW/s320/IMG_4956.JPG" width="247" /></a></div>
Well, half the year is gone, and we hosted the 4th annual Craft'za last weekend. Here is a very blurry photo of my booth to show how it changed since the spring. I wanted to build a fancy custom display but this pegboard was super-effective!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVF0HYK54IHuYvHbpnmt6wQoKanfNYMOLuSLnKxPhHDh07jxUZd4qR4tVErUaaiOr2eYYg7yFdLScAbKxrF1x7Uj-gz2ipTwZkbv2MkdVnIB5yLQrhZnHVPY53Ii6tU-lQsz4jOemKefU/s1600/IMG_20151114_113320594.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVF0HYK54IHuYvHbpnmt6wQoKanfNYMOLuSLnKxPhHDh07jxUZd4qR4tVErUaaiOr2eYYg7yFdLScAbKxrF1x7Uj-gz2ipTwZkbv2MkdVnIB5yLQrhZnHVPY53Ii6tU-lQsz4jOemKefU/s320/IMG_20151114_113320594.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I had a lot more inventory than I did <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2015/05/craftstravaganza-10.html">at Craftstravaganza</a> and the table felt really full this time. I sold a good number of hoops and even my <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlHHBLAcrM0q_wOmnYArvwREDHiEmhPx__IEAVmAIdDOthZBpAWF4T5jJka4zk1JSbokWqOp8JTD7JqwYrH-uAWZpUNBfi44GeDr547u5FzmJQ-r9ml9ovp3GX10CE_bNGm7EG8J7423X/s1600/zork.jpg">most expensive framed piece</a>. Also did some great trades with my fellow artists, my favorite thing to do.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIL3bov1-DkbmPpqDu_HN61WghJM7rFdKvLkJ3danWuJIy-8fRAUEVRZlkpjR9cV9_MWTLeSMXjZvM9l2hzMgfZ9bfOmQ7LmLB9-lywKhIilAlP9HvPiCiDyvT21bOvYhVC3it0O261jSW/s1600/IMG_4888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIL3bov1-DkbmPpqDu_HN61WghJM7rFdKvLkJ3danWuJIy-8fRAUEVRZlkpjR9cV9_MWTLeSMXjZvM9l2hzMgfZ9bfOmQ7LmLB9-lywKhIilAlP9HvPiCiDyvT21bOvYhVC3it0O261jSW/s320/IMG_4888.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
So it turns out this is the year I finally hang my shingle as a legit craft artist. Lots of interest and great conversation at the event, and people asking where they can buy online... which should be possible soon since I'm setting up a Storenvy shop!Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-864971311217890522015-05-29T09:42:00.000-05:002015-05-29T09:44:01.266-05:00Craftstravaganza #10<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbRvdRnD9xuCMTst2itvvcajF8xeK3SDuoh71oObpYZTfr2JGQM5hebMQwl8z3gnLv829M9B8-UUDDMYH3spJvQyZlVmuzkLt0Ymmlz7ljWwQZV8Ka170WxL_GWWJg4y1u0hIrhqQ9yF51/s1600/angleworme.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbRvdRnD9xuCMTst2itvvcajF8xeK3SDuoh71oObpYZTfr2JGQM5hebMQwl8z3gnLv829M9B8-UUDDMYH3spJvQyZlVmuzkLt0Ymmlz7ljWwQZV8Ka170WxL_GWWJg4y1u0hIrhqQ9yF51/s320/angleworme.JPG" width="274" /></a></div>
Hard to believe, but this May was our <a href="http://www.craftstravaganza.com/">10th annual St. Paul Craftstravaganza</a>. We built it, we grew it, and we kept it going for a whole decade. One thing I had never done--until now!--was have my own booth as an artist.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlHHBLAcrM0q_wOmnYArvwREDHiEmhPx__IEAVmAIdDOthZBpAWF4T5jJka4zk1JSbokWqOp8JTD7JqwYrH-uAWZpUNBfi44GeDr547u5FzmJQ-r9ml9ovp3GX10CE_bNGm7EG8J7423X/s1600/zork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlHHBLAcrM0q_wOmnYArvwREDHiEmhPx__IEAVmAIdDOthZBpAWF4T5jJka4zk1JSbokWqOp8JTD7JqwYrH-uAWZpUNBfi44GeDr547u5FzmJQ-r9ml9ovp3GX10CE_bNGm7EG8J7423X/s320/zork.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
This year I decided to take the plunge and go all-in with a separate table, selling as my hand-stitchery brand Angleworm Embroidery. It's all the work I've been sharing on <a href="https://instagram.com/therealandykrueger/">Instagram</a> since last December. I sold some hoops, traded a few with other artists, and had a lot of admirers. In particular my <a href="https://instagram.com/p/2Z8H07HoCj/?taken-by=therealandykrueger">Zork piece</a> (which I thought was a somewhat obscure reference) got a huge positive reaction.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxuz6CE6bPnaMl7pdriBVFWxReltSexofNQBJnp4_DD3ytM_aFw4CPuXwC4YmdJT_J0Mn3lPtNRVxU0GN32cNU_ImXms0xQi6V-FporcAS63QcytLRMQThe3UMsGkNXbMNgOO12-Svvgl/s1600/metal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxuz6CE6bPnaMl7pdriBVFWxReltSexofNQBJnp4_DD3ytM_aFw4CPuXwC4YmdJT_J0Mn3lPtNRVxU0GN32cNU_ImXms0xQi6V-FporcAS63QcytLRMQThe3UMsGkNXbMNgOO12-Svvgl/s320/metal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
It was fun to be an artist and stand behind the table as an exhibitor. But I also had to run the show and that meant I couldn't hang around in one place all day. I'd like to try another event where I can just participate as an artist. Overall the event was great and it inspired me to continue embroidering. One nice thing about running craft fairs is that there's always another one coming up in just a few months!Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-71025572177780065302015-05-01T10:02:00.000-05:002015-05-19T12:46:48.298-05:00Morel Hunting Crib Sheet<div style="text-align: center;">
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Start looking for morels the first week that temperatures stay above 50 degrees overnight, usually early to mid-May. The morel season in Minnesota only lasts for about two weeks, so don't sleep! Other signs that it's time for a hike:<br />
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<li>Lilacs blooming </li>
<li>Dandelions begin to go to seed </li>
<li>Oak leaves the size of a squirrel's ear </li>
</ul>
Early spring, search on south-facing slopes in fairly open areas. As the season progresses, go deeper into the woods and explore north-facing slopes. You want to find well-drained, sandy soils and dead or dying trees (ideally with bark sloughing off the trunk). Look for these landmarks to identify potential hunting grounds: <br />
<ul>
<li>Dry creek bottoms </li>
<li>Old apple orchards </li>
<li>Ash, aspen, elm & oak trees </li>
</ul>
But is it<i> really</i> a morel? Morels are always hollow. "If it's not hollow do not swallow." Morels' heads are always attached to the side. "Head attached, down the hatch!" Oh, and remember you always gotta cook 'em first... a friend's dad just got sick from eating raw morels. Happy hunting!<br />
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Resources: <br />
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<li><a href="http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/hunting/2013/04/finding-cooking-morel-mushrooms">Field & Stream</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.twincities.com/life/ci_23344708/minnesota-morel-hunter-thrill-is-hunt">Pioneer Press</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.startribune.com/sports/outdoors/255679431.html">Star Tribune</a></li>
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Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-88166784823424295602015-04-23T09:34:00.000-05:002015-04-23T09:34:38.131-05:00Lola Memorial<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Lola was a good dog. She was our first baby and tolerated our human children with infinite patience. We had many good years together but it was her time to snuffle off this mortal coil on April 1, 2015. Goodnight sweet pup, we miss you.<br />
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Jenna says:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
After a rough start to life, Lola came to us around age 4. We had 10 wonderful years with her, and we are so glad that our girls were able to spend their early years with such an amazing pet. It will surely take us all some time to adjust to our new normal without her around. Thank you Lola, for being such a sweet, patient & loving dog!</blockquote>
Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623323939664222902.post-66625589449943005232015-03-24T14:17:00.000-05:002017-02-22T09:14:14.632-06:00Pins & Needles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I started doing embroidery in a serious way this winter when I cross-stitched a bunch of <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoteBRq8cplQu8LIdG2jUVGjpzUnUp53zExeZUo1U4IpP8PZRuSp7K_tWa0fj8WVcLpPqSaguLZdobchQaJGNXuyzkIkcKGz_wYGcvAtEW-EMOjnjJ4y48CEc4JFoosO37kq2Q_WzyGgUM/s1600/superbrothers.png">Christmas gifts</a> (and one <a href="http://sketchza.tumblr.com/post/104303845070/im-so-prancy-cross-stitch-a-custom-piece-my">fancy deer</a>). That was so fun that I kept on going and stitching things <a href="http://sketchza.tumblr.com/post/108659246100/it-is-pitch-black-you-are-likely-to-be-eaten-by">for myself</a>, just for fun. Then soon I had a pile of finished pieces sitting in a drawer.<br />
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And so this is all leading up to the announcement that I'm going to try--for the first time in ten years of Craftstravaganza history--to staff my own booth and make a go of selling like a real artist. I've sold <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2807/571/1600/DSCN2761.0.jpg">stuff</a> at our shows before, sporadically, but always as a small part of Jenna's Scuttlebug booth. And there was the time <a href="http://dadbydawn.blogspot.com/2011/05/springcon-2011.html">I had a half table for one day at SpringCon</a>. But this will be separate, with unique new branding, all my own art. I'm excited... and I have a lot of work to do!<br />
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I'm hoping some people will buy my stuff, that's one thing. But also this will be a test to see if I've learned anything about being a good exhibitor in the decade I've spent as an event manager. Come see if I succeed, or crash & burn, on <a href="http://www.craftstravaganza.com/stp/2015/">Saturday May 9</a>.<br />
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Andy Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01785984473264514705noreply@blogger.com1