1981 Minneapolis skyline

This is the Minneapolis skyline 30 years ago, just a few buildings smaller.


(via MINNpics, uploaded by Flickr user RamDriver)

Nose scare

The back-and-forth in this kid's face is priceless!


(via Tastefully Offensive)

Facebook confusion

2 Facebook terms proved to be woefully inadequate for me yesterday.

The first was "friend/unfriend." I noticed that a coworker unfriended me on Facebook. I have my guesses as to why and it's not a big deal to me. I don't think I've ever added a coworker on Facebook since I generally keep a more distinct line between my work and personal lives, but she had added me and I accepted the friend request.

But we aren't "unfriendly," so to speak. I've unfriended people who I'm not unfriendly with before too simply because we weren't close or I thought they posted too many rants, but when you put it in terms of "friend/unfriend," it makes it sound a lot more dramatic than it really is.

The second term was "like." Congresswoman Betty McCollum was in our office yesterday and our CEO posted a link to a Facebook picture of her with one of my colleagues. I was looking at it on my phone and went to "like" the picture but instead liked Betty McCollum's actual fan page. Suddenly my Facebook news feed said, "Joey White likes Betty McCollum."

I quickly unliked the page and wondered how many of my friends who saw that were scratching their heads. But what if I had actually wanted to follow Betty McCollum's Facebook page? What if she were my congresswoman and I didn't actually like her and wasn't friends with her but wanted to keep up to date with what's going on in her office?

Come on Facebook, help us out. I think more neutral terms like "connect" would make a lot more sense for what we're really doing with Facebook and it would make a few situations a lot less awkward.

What about another one?

I don't know if or when we'll have another child, but I've wondered what other people would think if we do. I suppose it's ultimately irrelevant, but here are a few hypothetical thoughts that I imagine others may have right now:

Thought: "They wanted a 3rd kid anyway, so I'm sure they'll still want to have a 3rd."
Response: We got our 3rd. The next one is our 4th. It's not the same and I don't know how to explain that to someone who only sees a home with 2 children.

Thought: "If they get pregnant right away, it'll be cool 'cause then they wouldn't have had that kid if they hadn't lost Kaylee."
Response: Having another son or daughter doesn't somehow make losing Kaylee more okay. There is no replacement for Kaylee. Another life doesn't offset her death.

Thought: "They probably don't want to get pregnant again because they're afraid of complications."
Response: While we're more keenly aware of how fragile a young life is, we have no medical reason to be concerned about complications and, perhaps strangely, it really is a non-issue in our minds.

I'm sure there are other things people think and if I were them, I'd probably be wondering some of those things too. Of course, I'd probably never actually ask those questions and neither would you. It's not polite! But if you're curious about any of our post-loss sentiments about this or anything else, here's your open invitation: ask away!

Craigslist ad: terrorist-proof bunk bed

I've posted a few wacky Craigslist ads recently, but they were all from the same poster. This one is from a new guy. You can thank my wife for finding this.


Here's the text:

Terrorist proof bunk bed - $300 (Ham Lake, MN)

Tired of looking at flimsy Ikea type bunk beds that threaten to collapse and kill your kids in the night? Are your "kids" really psycho-destruction machines bent on wrecking any furniture left in their room without adult supervision? Are you afraid you will be host to their evil for the rest of your life?

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT!!!!

So I built hardened bunk beds to withstand the abuse that they were capable of. This unit is built of the finest 2x lumber, chain link posts and dock hardware the Home Depot had to offer. Glued, screwed and lag bolted together this is a matrix of strength only imagined by other bunk bed manufacturers. Once bolted to the wall, (YES, I SAID BOLTED TO THE WALL) this bed ain't going nowhere. In a severe weather situation I suggest seeking shelter under this behemoth.

Yes it is painted "Safety Yellow" but it could use a coat of paint (to hide the teeth marks) in any shade complimenting your decor.

NO MATTRESSES OR BEDDING INCLUDED!!!!!!! USES STANDARD TWIN MATTRESSES--- BOTTOMS OF BUNKS ARE SOLID OSB PLYWOOD, NO NEED FOR BOX SPRING OR FOUNDATION.

See more photos at http://s1210.photobucket.com/home/wrench1957/index

CALL TIM AT 763 516 0826

I thought it was ironic that he talked up how indestructible this was and then noted the teeth marks. I'm convinced that nothing is indestructible for a kid!