The Writer's Poke

Some time ago in the spring, I found out that David Ellefson, bass player and co-founder of Megadeth, was rebranding the coffee shop in Jackson, Minnesota. Every so often I would tell Linda that I planned to drive over there to check it out, but the morning that I actually decided to drive over there to check it out, I think I surprised her. I’m not sure she thought I would ever do it. “What else are you going to do over there?” “Oh, that’s it. Just drive over there, order a cup of coffee, and drive home.” I had checked out Jackson on Tripadvisor, and honestly, Jackson seemed like it didn’t have much going on. My mind map of southwestern Minnesota was mainly a blank. I knew that I-90 drove through, but I thought perhaps the interstate was a metaphor: Beware ye who enter here, lest ye be on your way to somewhere else. When I told Tavi we were driving two hours to visit a coffee shop, the idea didn’t seem far-fetched to her. She only had one question, “Do they serve hot ...

The final product is all that matters; never worry about the process.

To do something big, start big.

If you're in charge, expect the best-case scenario; if you're not in charge, predict the worst-case scenario.

Don't ever compromise: Make others adapt to you.

Remember the Golden Rule: Whoever has the gold makes the rules.

          It is more important to repeatedly state the claim than it is to establish the facts. 

       Justice isn’t blind; it’s political. 

         Principles are good in theory, but in practice, winning is much more important. 

West Concord, Minnesota: Population 782 Distance from Rochester, Minnesota: 31 miles Reason to drive there: Only one – Omar’s Café for Sunday Brunch Sunday mornings in West Concord are incredibly quiet. No one in town is stirring, and except for the few cars in front of Omar’s Café,  you might be forgiven if you thought you were in a ghost town.  The view in the middle of Main Street looking to the east.  Why did Omar decide to open a cafe in, of all places, West Concord? I've never asked him the question directly, but I'm sure part of it has to do with the location. Yes, it's a 30 mile drive from Rochester, but maybe that works in his favor. If you want to have Sunday morning brunch at Omar's, you're going to have to make a firm decision to go. It's not a cafe that you end up going to on accident.  Linda and Octavia heading in.  Is it worth the drive? Sure it is. We've had Sunday Brunch at Omar's maybe ...

       Never admit you’re wrong, because doing so could give your opponent an advantage.  Losing is worse than being wrong. 

      The end goal of the political process should be to maintain and perpetuate the proper status quo. If the liberal agenda has disturbed this, then the primary objective should be to return things to the way they were. 

      The individual self is separate from all other individuals. What is his is his alone. 

The Wired Rooster Coffee Shoppe  -- Caledonia, Minnesota I've lived in Minnesota for over ten years, sure, but that doesn't mean I've actually seen much of the state. Like most people, I know what I know, and I go where I go. And that's the extent of it. But once I resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to make it to Alaska this summer, it occurred to me that I had plenty of sites to explore in the immediate region. First stop: Caledonia, Minnesota. Where's that? It's a small town in the southeast corner of the state. Before I opened my Rand McNally Road Atlas, I had never heard of it, and before I punched the town name into Trip Advisor, I didn't know if there was anything there worth visiting. Distance from home: About 75 miles. Challenge #1: Leaving by 6:30 a.m. Challenge #2: Taking my dog, Atticus. Actually, Atticus is a good dog on a road trip, but the forecast indicated that it was going to get into the 90s. I wanted to ...

Laws don't stop bad people from doing bad things; good people do good things on their own. Ergo, laws aren't necessary.

I wanted to go on an Alaskan cruise this summer, and I monitored cruise prices daily until they finally hit the sweet spot. Unfortunately, once prices hit the sweet spot, I admitted to myself that whether the cruise cost $899 or $1599, it really didn’t matter. The price might be right, but other variables made it next to impossible for me to leave home for the 2+ plus weeks such a trip would require. So naturally I was a little depressed, and I allowed myself to stew for a few days. What good is having time off when I’m still not free to utilize it in the manner I would like? What good is having the money to purchase the tickets when I still cannot “afford” to go? I was locked into a “woe is me” frame of mind. Don’t get me wrong: I wasn’t angry at my situation, but it would be fair to say that I was disappointed. I wanted to go on an Alaskan cruise this summer, and couldn't help feeling that I should be able to go on an Alaskan cruise this summer! I’ve felt this way ...

Who cares if I don’t? Students spur me to pierce their unresponsiveness.

Put on your coat now – The calendar says May, but Minnesota laughs.

Bed, I’ll see you soon. The day without you is long, And I dream of you.

Guilleabeau is a world traveler who has been to every country in the world. He's also a pretty good writer, and this, his third book, is his best to date. I think a lot of people are happy to live routine lives; maybe some in that category would still be inspired if they read this book. I'm sure many people happy with their routines would not be inspired, because hey... thinking that you can have a non-routine life, if you really wanted it, is kind of threatening to some people. Anyway, Guilleabeau is quite clear: If you want to go on a "quest" in your life, the only limitation to what you can accomplish if your own imagination. Some people just aren't that imaginative. Their loss. If you are the imaginative type, and if you're willing to make sacrifices to live your dreams, read this book. It will help you focus/refocus on what you need to be doing with your life. http://www.amazon.com/The-Happiness-Pursuit-Finding-Purpose/dp/0385348843/ref...