It's super effective!

I made a Pokémon self-portrait drawing. Probably you will either grok this immediately or not really care (but I hope you like it). If you're not sure then look at this.

I don't draw nearly enough to have developed a "style" of my own. Whenever I sit down to make something more than a crappy little sketch, I end up borrowing heavily from the visual vocabulary of established artists. Just for fun, here's a list of my inspiration/references for this one:

• James Kochalka
• McBess
• Adventure Time
• Natasha Allegri

Toddler update

Natalie is at her best age. She is really coming into her own and the kind of girl she is, is an all-singing, all-dancing, cake-obsessed two-and-a-half-year-old. Honestly, I love her a lot more now than when she was a baby. Like most fathers, I was able to connect with her on a deeper level once we started to have real, human conversations.

Our daughter is growing up in so many ways. It was not so very long ago that I sat by Natalie's crib and held her hand until she fell asleep, a process that sometimes took over an hour. We finally admitted this wasn't doing her any favors and started to wean her off the constant contact.

Now she might still scream and cry a bit, but eventually--much sooner than she used to--she will miraculously fall asleep on her own. My evenings have improved tremendously. In fact this is certainly another reason why I can love her more easily now than before, when I'd frequently drift off to exhausted slumber on her bedroom floor while still clutching her tiny hand. Baby steps toward independence.

New Monasticism: a community house in Minneapolis

Over a decade ago, I had what I now recognize as an important formative experience in my life and faith. Together with a group of kids from church I visited a house in Minneapolis where a bunch of dirty hippies helped their neighbors with donations of food, clothes, and time. Real Christian charity in action. We were there to pick up paint flecks from around the house next door that they had chipped off earlier in order that it could be repainted.

Coming from my limited experience, these young men and women blew my mind, and I wanted to be one of them. At the time I was attracted to superficial aspects of the lifestyle as I saw it: skateboarding to work! A CD with swears on it! Boys and girls living together! But most importantly, they had chosen intentionally to live in a "bad" neighborhood in order to serve the people in it, instead of retreating to the safety of the suburbs which had sheltered me for so long.

Watching, eating with, and working alongside the people living in that house was my first exposure to a communal Christianity. It certainly broke a conceptual box and opened my mind to new possibilities for what an authentic person of faith could be like. I regret not learning more about them (Missio Dei and Salvage Yard are a couple of groups doing this kind of ministry) but it launched me on a search for different kinds of spiritual experience that helped make me the well-rounded person I am today.

A bit of neighborhood nostalgia

Sel-Dale Laundromat - Street View, originally uploaded by Keeshond

Before we moved away from our old 'hood in St. Paul, I walked Natalie around in her stroller and told stories about her first home. We don't have any particular fondness for the Sel-Dale Laundromat that's pictured above, but it was only a couple of blocks from our house, which made it a local landmark. Other places do have special significance in our family history:

• Great Harvest Bread, where I once forgot about Natalie and walked out the door while she sat calmly in her stroller;
• The former restaurant (now long vacant) where Jenna and I enjoyed a romantic lunch of tapas once upon a time before she was born;
• Fivetwosix Salon, the host of baby's first fashion show;
• The local playgrounds where she loved to swing;
• The Happy Gnome and Muddy Pig, where we celebrated a successful Craftstravaganza, and Sweeney's Saloon, where I sketched out the beginnings of the Minneapolis Indie Xpo.

Oh yes, we have some good memories from our years in the big city, our own roaring 20's. I am glad we lived there when we did. I would not want to move back (at least, I don't now, and I don't foresee that happening any time soon). But when I visit it always feels a little bit like coming home.

Further thoughts on running and nutrition

I'm drinking less alcohol since I started running. When I reach into the fridge at night, my hand almost subconsciously passes over the bottle of beer and grabs water or milk instead. I started eating differently, too. I'm not so quick to reach for that second donut at work. And I have definitely cut back on processed foods. My wonderful wife has been making me lunches and I mostly stock healthy snacks like nuts and fruit in my cubicle cabinets.

I still love junk food and the occasional drink (I'm like a chocoholic, but for booze). I'm just making healthier choices, more of the time. The shift has been easy and natural, because real food is delicious and when I eat good, I feel good. And--it might just be my imagination, but--I think my beer gut has shrunk a little, and maybe I'm even developing a little muscle tone. Perfect body, here I come!

Three recent unrelated adventures

A little Barred Owl flew up to our kitchen window, peeked inside, and then flew away. I was draining ravioli in the sink at the time so I was literally only a couple of feet away! It was an amazing close encounter with this beautiful bird. I've heard them hooting at night but this was our first sighting, and it was still quite bright outside, at 6:00 PM.

Chaska public library had a book sale. Natalie and I walked around and found some great vintage children's books, plus a few books for me. My favorite find: the gorgeously illustrated Richard Scarry board book I am a Bunny. Natalie was on especially good behavior and the library staff adored her.

We joined a church! Christ Victorious Lutheran is now our official home church. This is the only church we have belonged to as a couple or as a family. I hope this will provide stability and relationships for Natalie, and for us too. We are excited to get involved with this new community.

Daddy Drinks: Chocolat Chaud

chocolat chaud by Karin in Paris

This French chocolat chaud is just the thing to warm my cold bones on a bitter winter morning. So rich and creamy! Natalie's favorite part is the whipped cream on top (or, as she called it, "cheese").