Siftings
Sep
06
Days of Labor
“I’m sorry, Mayor”, Library Director Lawanda Roudebush said, taking advantage of the open door policy. Mayor Gluba and I were in my office. We were on the cusp of a miracle solution that would rid Davenport of potholes forever, reduce property taxes and create nine new acres of riverfront park. ...
Aug
27
On The Way, Home
We startle each other. Rounding a trail bend just after dawn, the bighorn is surprised to see me. And I him. Aptly named, ovis canadensis is. Those are BIG horns. The goal was to hike to the top of Sunset Peak by sunrise. Sunset, at sunrise. I thought that would be a productive and humorous...
Aug
21
Craig’s Friday Countdown - Leadership Lessons du jour
This may make more sense next week, but some nice folks out west have asked me to stop by to chat. They’ve also asked thirty-four questions, in writing, so far.
The most recent questions were of the situation – action – result variety, where you tell them about something that happened and...
Aug
17
Science !
City manager selection procedures, brought to life through inferential statistics. Sure, you could find something else to read on the internet as you pretend to be working, but just imagine how wracked with guilt you'd be.
Methodology and findings (click here) that are certain to be a hit at...
Aug
12
The Things We Carry
Thirty thousand ACT-conquering words and one Estwing hammer. Three thousand two hundred and forty two iTunes songs and eighteen sockets. Two guitars and eight screwdrivers. Colin’s picked the former, and I’ve picked the latter. We’re creatures of habit and one of my habits is to send the...
Aug
11
A Recommendation
Sorry if you stopped by looking for somethig new today. I'm in the middle of three different writing assignments. If you came looking for a three to five minute slice of life, this piece (click here) by Leah Carroll is - I'm guessing - the best thing you'll encounter on the interweb this...
Aug
07
Craig’s Friday Countdown - Things To Take
The path to Empty Nesterville has a stop at U-Haul. Amanda’s senior college year includes an off campus apartment and we need a trailer to transport her growing collection of furniture and furnishings. Which gets me thinking about the most essential twenty things I’d take with me,...
Aug
03
Best Band At Lalapalooza?
I didn't see close to all of them, or even twenty percent of them. But Sturgill Simpson had, by far, the best band I saw. No synth, no fancy lighting or other tricks ... just an amazing quintet of musicians. Simpson's clear contribution is his writing but he can play too. Not that he needs to...
Aug
01
Stages
Don’t hate on someone’s groove. Sitting against an elm trunk enveloping the stage, I overhear a college student offering advice to a friend critiquing BADBADNOTGOOD. There’s three hundred thousand people and one hundred and thirty bands spread across three days and three hundred and nineteen...
Jul
31
Craig’s Friday Countdown - Lala Band Names
The Malin boys are back in the ancestral homeland for the weekend, at Lalapalooza. Not saying these are the twelve best bands, but am saying these are the dozen best band names at the fest.
12. Moon Taxi – Uber not yet available.
11. DJ Mustard – DJ Ketchup not allowed in Chicago.
10. The...
