Archive




2024-11-18 Hollis Robbins, "AI & the Last Mile"

2024-11-17 Parables are strange; finding your life transformed into a parable, even stranger.

2024-10-28 Boy do I wish I had been in Chicago last Friday 🎵

2024-10-11 Currently reading: The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro. It’s time. Let’s do this. 📚

2024-09-05 It’s a glorious time to be an American tennis fan. Half of the US Open men’s & women’s …

2024-09-01 Currently reading: All Things Are Full of Gods by David Bentley Hart 📚

2024-09-01 Finished reading: Middlemarch by George Eliot 📚

2024-08-29 Currently reading: Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake 📚

2024-08-29 Currently reading: Range by David Epstein 📚

2024-08-27 The wisdom of simplicity: an interview with Uruguya's former president José Mujica 🔗

2024-08-09 The power of journalism rises & falls inversely to journalists’ belief in the power of …

2024-08-07 Get out there right now & watch Esperanza Spalding & Milton Nascimiento’s beautiful …

2024-08-04 Currently reading: The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. Oft recommended; I’m reading it & …

2024-07-26 Current listening: Pat Metheny’s beautiful new solo guitar album, Moondial. The album includes …

2024-07-24 Loving Rick Rubin’s two-part interview with Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend (my family’s …

2024-07-23 Luke Burgis offers a reading list for creators & entrepreneurs. Personally, I’d replace Mill …

2024-07-23 Current listening: Ron Carter, All Blues. Roland Hanna’s solo on “Light Blue” is a beautiful little …

2024-07-22 Finished reading: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. What a remarkable book. I love academic …

2024-07-16 We’ve got a trip to Yellowstone & Grand Tetons coming up next month. Any recommendations …

2024-07-09 Currently reading: Middlemarch by George Eliot. An old favorite. Profound from the first paragraph. …

2024-07-08 Finished reading: Moonbound by Robin Sloan. So great! Handed it off to my daughter—she’s 11; I’m …

2024-06-27 Finished reading: Night Train by A. L. Snijders. Wonderful microstories, translated by Lydia Davis. …

2024-06-25 Currently reading: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi 📚

2024-06-21 Cleaned like a zillion ants out of our mailbox today. (!?!) Now spending the afternoon creeped out …

2024-06-21 Matt Levine is hilarious & spot-on, exhibit 389247 🔗

2024-06-17 Currently reading: Moonbound by Robin Sloan 📚

2024-06-16 The pizzas turned out very well. I made four different pizzas, 5 pizzas of each style—turned out to …

2024-06-16 Father’s Day Special: Wordle 1,093 2/6 ⬛⬛🟩🟨🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

2024-06-14 Prepping a whole lotta pizza for tomorrow… #pizzaparty 🍕

2024-06-07 Jeff Koons and T.J. Maxx: a match made in heaven.

2024-06-04 Want to read: Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake 📚

2024-06-04 Thomas Chatterton Williams pens another chapter in the story of how every sport is breaking under …

2024-06-01 Ran my first 10k this morning at the Fargo Marathon. I beat my goal, finishing in 54:25. More …

2024-05-31 Our first pizza night with the wood-fired Ooni was a great success! Can’t wait to start using …

2024-05-31 Finished reading: Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford. This book is incredible—it connects many of my …

2024-05-28 Currently reading: Night Train by A. L. Snijders. Very short stories translated from Dutch by Lydia …

2024-05-24 Currently reading: The Shield of Achilles by W. H. Auden 📚

2024-05-24 Currently reading: Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford 📚

2024-03-05 I love the impulse toward community in the work of the great Japanese architect Riken Yamamoto, …

2024-02-26 Finished reading: The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu 📚

2024-02-02 Currently reading: A Time to Keep Silence by Patrick Leigh Fermor 📚

2024-02-02 Currently reading: Aspects of Truth by Catherine Pickstock 📚

2024-01-06 Happy Feast of the Epiphany! Our Rosca de Reyes turned out exceptionally well 😋🏡

2024-01-05 I think this year would be a good year to listen to Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers straight …

2024-01-04 Exodus 90: readings ✝️

2024-01-04 Exodus 90: Mental prep ✝️

2023-12-29 Currently reading: If On A Winter’s Night A Traveler by Italo Calvino. Christmas: the perfect …

2023-12-28 Finished reading: The Blue Flower by Penelope Fitzgerald Another Penelope Fitzgerald book I love.📚

2023-12-27 Currently reading: The Blue Flower by Penelope Fitzgerald 📚

2023-12-22 Highland Advent vibes this morning. 🏡

2023-12-15 Exodus 90: spiritual discipline between New Year's & Easter ✝️

2023-12-01 Current listening: *The Incomparable Bola Sete 🎶

2023-11-27 A new Geri Allen album?? Sure, it’s just a live recording, but I’m here all day for this one. Heck, …

2023-11-26 Finished reading: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel 📚

2023-11-26 Great day at the used book store 📚

2023-11-17 I’ve been working on an essay on Sam Bankman-Fried and Sam Altman for a couple weeks now. …

2023-11-17 I like the new Wikipedia app… but it doesn’t always get everything right:

2023-11-14 Finished reading: *The New Leviathans* by John Gray

2023-11-10 Current listening: a new Arvo Pärt album, Tractus, featuring a new, chamber-choir arrangement of …

2023-10-09 Rest in peace, Terence Davies. 🎞️ The first film I saw of his was his relatively recent documentary …

2023-09-30 No words strike fear into a Minnesota United fan’s heart quite like “must-win home game.” #COYL ⚽️

2023-09-23 Currently reading: Your Face Belongs to Us by Kashmir Hill 📚

2023-09-23 Currently reading: Toward the Winter Solstice by Timothy Steele 📚

2023-09-21 Perfect night for a fire. A zillion stars in the cloudless sky. Some Wolfgang Muthspiel on the …

2023-09-18 Finished reading: The Bible and Poetry by Michael Edwards. A fascinating and very idiosyncratic look …

2023-09-04 Finished reading: Meet Me at the Lighthouse by Dana Gioia. A delightful collection of poems, songs, …

2023-08-30 Tyler Cowen draws attention to the remarkable life and work of the Catholic religious scholar R.C. …

2023-08-22 Currently reading: The Bible and Poetry by Michael Edwards 📚

2023-08-22 Finished reading: Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury. I love Bradbury’s simple, relentless …

2023-08-17 A beautiful evening by the lake. I read; the kids built driftwood boats. 🏡

2023-08-17 One should act like a man of thought, and think like a man of action. ~Henri Bergson, quoted by …

2023-08-14 Can’t wait to dig into this one. 📚

2023-08-13 Some days, you get lucky. Very, very lucky. Wordle 785 2/6 ⬛⬛🟩🟩⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

2023-08-11 Current listening: Johnathan Blake, Passage. Blake is a master. Always brings the fire. 🎶

2023-08-11 True confession: I’m so inept at using the MacOS Photos app that if I want to use a photo, I …

2023-08-07 Do not hurry; do not rest. ~Goethe; h/t Annie Dillard 📚

2023-08-07 Currently reading: Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury 📚

2023-07-22 It’s incredible how many good book groups, seminars, & tutorials the Catherine Project is …

2023-07-05 Currently reading: In Search of Lost Time Volume I Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust. It’s been a …

2023-06-30 Current listening: Tyshawn Sorey Trio, Continuing. Four tracks, 53 minutes. As wide-ranging as ever …

2023-06-28 This desk. Click through for more detail—it’s worth it. Suddenly considering a trip to the …

2023-06-28 Finished reading: The This by Adam Roberts. Lots to think about with this delightful book. Roberts …

2023-06-27 A beautiful summer morning 🏡

2023-06-22 Rest in peace, my dear old friend David MacKay

2023-06-21 Currently reading: The This by Adam Roberts 📚

2023-06-21 Finished reading: Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. Rather sobering to have finished it on Father’s …

2023-06-20 I just love these essays that so confidently tell me what my own brain is doing to me. Undoubtedly …

2023-06-14 My friend Rick recently helped design a book of poems about Parkinson’s disease. The book is …

2023-06-07 R.I.P., Astrud Gilberto—one of the most ethereal & beautiful of all singers, IMO. 🎶

2023-05-27 There are some compelling resonances between Tara Isabella Burton’s New Atlantis essay …

2023-05-25 Currently reading: Mansfield Park by Jane Austen 📚

2023-05-23 Well, gotta say I’m glad I forgot my Loons had a US Open Cup match tonight… Houston 4-0 MNUFC. 😳⚽️

2023-05-23 NB, publishers: describing an author as a “Forbes 30 Under 30 scientist” makes me want to read their …

2023-05-19 Current listening: Danish Rain, the new album from a duet of wonderful musicians: pianist Justin …

2023-05-05 A wonderful essay by Tara Isabella Burton in The New Atlantis on Effective Altruism, the rationalist …

2023-05-01 Current listening: Brian Blade, Mama Rosa. I’ve loved this singer-songwriter-Gospel album from a …

2023-04-30 Finished reading: Laurus by Eugene Vodolazkin. My second read; it’s as beautiful and profound as it …

2023-04-26 The Temptation in the Wilderness, part 1 (Good Teacher #3) ✝️

2023-04-19 Baptism & new life (Good Teacher #2) ✝️

2023-04-19 I’m heading to Chicago this weekend for a birthday celebration with my father & brother. …

2023-04-18 Welcome to the Good Teacher (Good Teacher #1) ✝️

2023-04-18 Realizing I should be maintaining issues of my newsletter here on my blog, not just on Substack, in …

2023-04-17 Austin Klein won’t be hiring a virtual assistant anytime soon. 🔗

2023-04-16 R.I.P. Ahmad Jamal, one of the greatest and perhaps my absolute favorite jazz pianist. My dad used …

2023-04-15 The best AI app wouldn’t be an everything app. It would be a nothing app—so smart it helped me do …

2023-04-13 Everything Iain McGilchrist has to say is worth considering, but I can’t recommend his conversation …

2023-04-07 On Brad East’s blog, Denise Levertov’s Good Friday poem “On a Theme from Julian’s Chapter XX”: …

2023-04-06 [Early book collectors] supported the lively culture of book hunting that still goes on, diminished …

2023-04-06 Yeesh. For Minnesota United fans, things are not looking good on the Bebelo front. Fortunately, …

2023-04-05 Currently reading: The Secret Commonwealth by Robert Kirk A gloriously strange book from …

2023-04-05 Blue Note Records is absolutely crushing it lately: Julian Lage, Charles Lloyd’s trio of …

2023-03-28 Current listening: Charles Lloyd, Trio of Trios 🎵 Three fantastic trio albums, each with a different …

2023-03-28 Current listening: Charles Lloyd, Trio of Trios. 🎵 Three fantastic trio albums, each with a …

2023-03-28 No world / wears as well as it should but, mortal or not, / a world still had to be built. ~Auden, …

2023-03-26 What is mobile is always the most just. ~Robert Walser. So many great sentences in Walser. 📚

2023-03-25 Every last silly little thing has its unspeakably swift justification, its good clever grounds. …

2023-03-24 Jaron Lanier, being typically insightful: “We have to say consciousness is a real thing and there …

2023-03-24 Then, in all labyrinthine economies there are obscure nooks into which Authority never pokes a …

2023-03-22 What has become of us as a people that we can possess the beautiful only in dreams. ~Robert Walser

2023-03-22 Currently reading: Berlin Stories by Robert Walser 📚

2023-03-17 The cultivation of taste, in morals as well as in art, is neither snobbish nor elitist; it is, …

2023-03-17 I encountered a stunning book of photos on the Getty’s website today: Kazumasa Ogawa’s …

2023-03-17 Currently reading: The Battle for Your Brain by Nita A. Farahany 📚 Her contention is that control …

2023-03-13 Rest in peace, Kenzaburo Oe. My friend Caleb introduced me to Oe back in 2004 or 2005, and I came to …

2023-03-02 Rest in peace, Wayne Shorter, one of the very greats. 🎶

2023-03-01 Current listening: Kendrick Scott, Reverence. A 2009 album featuring some incredible players: not …

2023-03-01 Attention is how one disposes oneself to the world. ~Iain McGilchrist, The Matter with Things

2023-02-26 The more I use Arc Browser the more I love it—and I’ve been using it a lot! It restores some …

2023-02-25 Start of a new season for my beloved MNUFC tonight. I’m not optimistic about the season, but I am …

2023-02-23 Finished reading: How Big Things Get Done by Bent Flyvbjerg 📚 For the most part, a very good and …

2023-02-23 Currently reading: Dubliners by James Joyce 📚 Chiefly, “The Dead.” Is there a more beautiful story?

2023-02-22 Nicholas Dames on literary studies 🔗 📚

2023-02-20 Finished reading: Skin in the Game by Nassim Nicholas Taleb 📚

2023-02-20 Currently reading: How Big Things Get Done by Bent Flyvbjerg 📚

2023-02-17 Current listening: Chris Potter, Got the Keys to the Kingdom. 🎵 Absolutely scorching live set …

2023-01-24 Currently reading: Night Train by A. L. Snijders; translated by Lydia Davis 📚

2023-01-24 Reading stories about Davos attendees’ optimism, I’m reminded of Iain McGilchrist’s …

2023-01-17 Currently reading: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy 📚

2023-01-17 Currently reading: Skin in the Game by Nassim Nicholas Taleb 📚

2023-01-13 Still excellent advice, on the whole, though I’m not sure what Auden would replace “Read …

2023-01-13 Aesthetic judgments in an anti-aesthetic age 📚 🔗

2023-01-10 Rowan Williams on Iain McGilchrist 📚

2022-12-27 The result of more free time for the masses is not more leisure, as Aristotle conceived it, but more …

2022-12-23 Finished reading: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 📚

2022-12-23 Finished reading: The Nature of Oaks by Douglas W. Tallamy 📚

2022-12-10 It seems like the people most awed by “generative AI” art are those least familiar with humanity’s …

2022-12-08 Don’t come at me with some “philosopher test” if Hegel’s not one of the …

2022-12-07 My friend Patrick worked with his daughters to make an awesome collaborative card game—Nature …

2022-12-02 This World Cup’s group-stage matchday 3 has produced absolutely scintillating, wild, …

2022-11-30 World Cup update: 🇺🇸 and 🇦🇷 are through, so I’m happy. I can enjoy the rest of the group stage …

2022-11-30 Not surprised—it’s a great album! 🎶

2022-11-28 Alan Jacobs on your lies, and mine: In any given community, there will be a profound divide between …

2022-11-23 Despite EA & crypto, we're still living in the Victorians' world 🔗💰📚

2022-11-23 Excited for 🇧🇪-🇨🇦. I spent 90 terrifying minutes several years ago watching Alphonso Davies tear …

2022-11-23 So far, this World Cup suggests that it might not be quite the disaster I expected to expand to 48 …

2022-11-23 Jacqui Oakley and Warren Barton are hands-down the best commentators in this Fox squad for the World …

2022-11-22 I’ve loved Argentina since I studied abroad there in 2005. That’s a crushing defeat. But …

2022-11-22 ¡Vamos Argentina! 🇦🇷⚽️

2022-11-21 Halfway through 🇺🇸- 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿, I’m thrilled. We’re playing great; creating some good chances. I’m …

2022-11-20 My heart-over-head bracket. Really had to get speculative to get the final I wanted… 🇧🇷- 🇦🇷 ⚽️

2022-11-14 Everyone can’t look away from the story of the spectacular failure of crypto …

2022-11-13 All of humanity’s problems stem from our inability to sit quietly in a deer stand alone. ~ Pascal, …

2022-11-08 Currently reading: The Nature of Oaks by Douglas W. Tallamy 📚

2022-11-04 Decided recently to start a newsletter about Jesus’ teachings. It won’t be religious, or …

2022-09-30 Tomorrow, the Premier League starts a six-week mad dash prior to the World Cup; some teams will play …

2022-09-28 D.C. Schindler on beauty and hospitality 📚

2022-09-23 Is there any better illustration of Iain McGilchrist’s theory of the left brain’s …

2022-09-23 Sure, I’d love to be your start-up’s Chief Metaverse Officer. Here’s my cover …

2022-09-23 Saddened to learn of Hilary Mantel’s sudden and untimely death at the age of 70. Her Wolf Hall …

2022-09-20 So, apparently there are 20 quadrillion ants in the world. That’s a cool 1.5 million per person. 🐜 🔗

2022-09-06 Current listening: Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band, Season of Changes 🎶

2022-09-04 Finished reading: The Elementary Particles by Michel Houellebecq. Profoundly bleak, even for …

2022-08-19 Finished reading: Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler. An amazing novel of revolutionary …

2022-08-18 Finished reading: The Life We’re Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World …

2022-08-16 Finished reading: Purgatory Mount by Adam Roberts 📚

2022-08-16 Finished reading: Bells In Winter by Czeslaw Milosz 📚

2022-08-02 Bill Russell, Track & Field, & Learning to Learn 🏀🔗

2022-07-20 In life and work alike, his contradictions are pressed together like layers in metamorphic rock. It …

2022-07-18 Finished reading: McGilchrist, *The Master & His Emissary* 📚

2022-07-18 Thanks to MinnPost for publishing this rich, illuminating portrait of MSP drummer Dave King (of The …

2022-07-18 Pulitzer Committee: Award Duke Ellington the 1965 Pulitzer Prize he was denied. 🔗🎶

2022-07-17 Tanner Greer on substance, not procedure 🔗

2022-06-18 Max Richter, giving Auden pride of place in his Recomposed Four Seasons headshot. (The album is very …

2022-04-26 “The Technocrat’s Dilemma” is as concise a framing of our current …

2022-04-19 I basically agree with Gruber’s take on Netflix: Netflix would be better-served by focusing …

2022-04-15 I relished Roy Foster’s Conversation with Tyler on Irish history, economics, and culture. I …

2022-04-12 “We’re moving towards disaster, guided by a false image of the world; and no one realizes.” ~ Michel …

2022-03-25 Glad to see a third-party candidate enter the MN governor’s race. I don’t expect …

2022-03-24 Put the Oscars out of their misery 🔗 🎞

2022-03-23 The world needs more Cavafy 📚

2022-03-16 On the absurd counter-productivity of cancelling Russian culture. 🔗 The last thing we need is to …

2022-03-12 In order for people to use social media responsibly—i.e., not get addicted—we essentially have to …

2022-03-12 Finished reading: Tradition and Apocalypse by David Bentley Hart 📚 Unsurprisingly if you’ve read …

2022-03-12 Finished reading: London’s Fields by Mark Waldon 📚 ⚽️ A delightful oral history looking at …

2022-03-11 Review: *The Future of Money: How the Digital Revolution Is Transforming Currencies and Finance* by Eswar S. Prasad 📚

2022-03-11 Everything about central bank digital currency (CBDC) is the stuff of totalitarian nightmare. ~A …

2022-02-25 Expert ≠ leader (or vice versa): The pandemic has shown us the dangers of expert rule, and the …

2022-01-07 Social media & the human heart 🔗

2021-12-15 When was the last time I link to a Slate article? Maybe never. In any case, their “Best Jazz …

2021-12-10 Tyler Cowen’s conversation with biographer-historian Ruth Scurr is delightful—bookstores, Cambridge, …

2021-12-08 Beautiful light in my office this morning.

2021-12-01 A fresh layer of snow overnight + fire-red sunrise.

2021-11-24 Incredibly excited for the future of Slant Books. They have some wonderful titles coming in their …

2021-11-22 R.I.P, Robert Bly, one of Minnesota’s great poets. I’ll remember him most for his …

2021-11-08 A beautiful obituary of Chinese philosopher and aesthetician Li Zehou. 🔗

2021-10-26 This sunrise this morning… unreal. 💥 🏡

2021-10-22 Alan Jacobs on distributism & the need for new institutions 🔗

2021-10-17 Bitcoin & the US fiscal reckoning 🔗

2021-10-11 A first post in my shameless theft of Robert‘s Last/Next notebook category. I’ll enjoy looking back …

2021-10-09 Daniel A. Kaufman defends “The Good Old Liberal Consensus” against its foes on both right and left. …

2021-10-05 Currently reading: The Future of Money: How the Digital Revolution is Transforming Currencies and …

2021-10-02 "Homeward Bound (for Ana Grace)" 🎵

2021-09-23 This is a wonderful appreciation of Norm MacDonald—the best I’ve read so far. 🔗

2021-08-27 “Destiny waits in the hands of God, not in the hands of statesmen / Who do, some well, some ill, …

2021-08-20 MNUFC old-timer Brent Kallman provides the context behind the “Nicest Rivalry in Sports” moniker. …

2021-08-20 Another beautiful sunrise on Rish Lake🏡

2021-08-05 Current listening: the Danish String Quartet’s Prism III 🎶

2021-08-02 R.I.P., great author, publisher, and literary scholar Roberto Calasso 📚 🔗

2021-07-28 Amen: “Simone Biles Doesn’t Exist To Make America Proud” 🔗

2021-07-09 In “The Future is a Decentralized Internet,” Olaf Carlson-Wee explains the theory behind DAOs and …

2021-07-06 There’s no world in which I sign up for a newsletter hosted by Bulletin, just like there’s no world …

2021-06-22 Currently reading: Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings by Peter Pettinger 📚

2021-06-15 Stop whatever you’re doing and go listen to Glenn Loury’s podcast conversation with Cornel West. H/t …

2021-06-11 Current listening: Squint, jazz guitarist Julian Lage’s new album, which features the trio Lage has …

2021-06-06 Current listening: Another Land by Dave Holland, featuring Robin Eubanks on guitar and Obed Calvaire …

2021-06-05 Weekend project: cleaning out the garage, the last holdout/dumping-ground from our Oct move. Wish I …

2021-05-08 A beautiful sunrise over Rush Lake this morning. #nofilter 🏡

2021-05-05 I’m not interested in the decision of the Facebook “oversight board” on Trump. A foregone conclusion …

2021-05-05 Management as marketing

2021-04-28 It was a beautiful foggy morning at Whispering Woods 🏡

2021-04-19 Currently reading: The Master and His Emissary by Iain McGilchrist 📚

2021-04-19 The European Super League™️ Sponsored by JPMorgan Chase® is an affront to soccer fans around the …

2021-04-12 Conversion in modernity

2021-04-12 Varieties of Conversion 🔗

2021-04-10 Who is Wanchope Ábila and what does his nickname mean? ⚽️

2021-04-10 Dropped yesterday: Uneasy by Vijay Iyer with Linda May Han Oh & Tyshawn Sorey. Three jazz …

2021-04-01 What happened to the ACLU? 🔗

2021-03-30 Robert Pogue Harrison reviews several recent books by and about the wonderful Shirley Hazzard. 📚 As …

2021-03-30 Freddie deBoer’s Substack has been excellent lately. From a recent post of thoughts for new writers: …

2021-03-26 The NYT obit for Adam Zagajewski is quite touching. I remember talking with a peer at a conference. …

2021-03-21 RIP Adam Zagajewski, my favorite contemporary poet. 📚

2021-01-01 Happy new year / public-domain day! 🎶 📚

2020-12-23 Your annual reminder that Geri Allen’s A Child is Born is the pinnacle of Christmas jazz, and the …

2020-12-23 Busy morning on the river

2020-12-18 The Charthusian monks: brewing Chartreuse in the Alps during a pandemic

2020-12-03 My favorite year-end list is always Ted Gioia’s 100 favorite albums of the year. I guarantee you’ll …

2020-11-28 Leibovitz on the Supreme Court & religious liberty 🔗

2020-11-12 Shouldn’t it be “philosophy schimosophy”? 🔗

2020-11-09 The Politics We Don't Have 🔗

2020-11-07 Out this week: Songs from Home, beautiful solo piano from Fred Hersch. 🎶

2020-11-07 A beautiful day to prep the garden for winter. 🏡

2020-10-25 You think it is helpful having a fluorescent praying mantis coming into their office, telling them …

2020-10-24 Currently reading: Montaigne: Life Without Law by Pierre Manent 📚

2020-10-16 Moving day. Our first day of snow for the season, too. 🏡

2020-10-13 Currently reading: Jane Austen: Writing, Society, Politics by Tom Keymer 📚

2020-10-12 The Big Move 🏡

2020-10-06 UMN professor of history Jon Butler has a fascinating new book out: God in Gotham: The Miracle of …

2020-09-26 Liz Bruenig on Catholicism & American power

2020-09-26 Coffee + grading while listening to Mahler’s Sympony No. 5, prompted by this touching anecdote from …

2020-09-24 I watched The Booksellers this evening. It’s a delightful documentary about the passionate folks in …

2020-09-23 Here’s 58.5 hours of Glenn Gould playing Bach for y’all. See ya next week. 🎶

2020-08-18 R.I.P. Fr. Edward Sthokal

2020-08-17 It’s finally Minnesota’s turn in the *Atlantic*’s series of photographs from each of the 50 states. …

2020-08-16 Catching up on some soccer highlights: Alphonso Davies had a ridiculous assist for Bayern in their …

2020-08-16 At the very center of his identity, Kushner is a Good Son. He’s run the country in a spirit of …

2020-08-16 Just behind the kingdom that failed ran a nice little river. It was a clear, lovely stream, and many …

2020-08-01 Tonight’s MNUFC win shows a deep team that’s well-coached. Some of our best players—Opara, Molino, …

2020-08-01 Visit to Como Zoo / RIP Buzz

2020-07-31 In the years to come, New York and the United States would eventually recognize and embrace Derek …

2020-07-30 “Same as it ever was”: On heaven & the Talking Heads 🔗 The traditional imagery of heaven is …

2020-07-30 Early Morning Nature Hike

2020-07-24 A delightful story about an initially failed, but remarkably persistent, fantasy writer: Brandon …

2020-06-30 The promise of politics is that, within and through our differences, some form of common life can be …

2020-06-27 On the nihilism of Harari’s *Sapiens* 🔗📚

2020-06-26 Malick’s technique 🔗 🎞 🎥

2020-06-25 Appiah on race, language, & capitalization 🔗

2020-06-23 Ismail Muhammad on Coltrane’s “Alabama” 🔗 🎷

2020-06-21 Adam Zagajewski on poetry in an age of mass culture & popular pseudo-science 🔗📚

2020-06-17 Joshua Hochschild on communal life & the life of the mind 🔗 📚

2020-06-15 Billy Hart Quartet, Live Streaming at the Village Vanguard 🎶

2020-06-15 Weekend project: building new beds for the boys. All that remains is to add a bed skirt to cover up …

2020-06-12 Morgan Meis on a highly questionable paraphrase of Auden in the NYT: “We must assist one another or …

2020-05-15 Ahhh… back in the outdoor office at last.

2020-04-16 R.I.P., Lee Konitz. Here’s jazz pianist Ethan Iverson’s tribute to Konitz, insightful as always.

2020-04-06 A sure way to establish enduring significance as a thinker is to combine sophistication with …

2020-04-06 Today (Mon 6 Apr) at noon CST: “Christian Ethics & Pandemic Ethics”.

2020-04-03 My colleague Pilar’s 86-year-old father has been hospitalized with covid-19 in Spain. His last wish …

2020-03-27 A stunning New York Times photo-essay on how coronavirus has devastated Bergamo, Italy. In high …

2020-03-26 How Texas supermarket chain H-E-B has prepared better than just about anyone for the pandemic. 🔗 …

2020-03-25 There is no afterwards. 🔗 A profound, honest reflection on COVID-19 and our mortality. Written for …

2020-03-25 The World's Best Virtual Art Galleries

2020-03-24 Current listening: Pat Metheny, *From This Place* 🎶

2020-03-22 Sunday Morning Biscuit-Making

2020-03-21 Singers, among many others, have had their livelihoods cancelled or postponed indefinitely due to …

2020-03-19 In my extra reading time these days, I’ve been taking @ayjay‘s suggestion to read essays and short …

2020-03-17 🔗 2,500 museums you can visit virtually I’m planning on visiting many museums in this way with my …

2019-12-30 My selections from our trip the Shoreview Public Library today. Looking forward to some reading time …

2019-12-02 DL: 270x3 OHP: 102.5x5 🏆

2019-11-30 Sq: 225x6 BP: 180x3 🏆

2019-11-29 Learning to play the piano without a piano 🔗🎶 This is a remarkable story, though disappointingly …

2019-11-24 OHP: 110x3 🏆

2019-11-24 “Chelsea are back in fashion – but Roman Abramovich is out in the cold” 🔗 ⚽️

2019-11-24 Martin Filler on the MOMA’s expansion 🔗 🖼

2019-11-24 The Poverty of Economics & The Wealth of Religions: an essay on the limits of the economic …

2019-11-23 I’ve never like Chelsea FC—I’ve actively disliked them, in fact. But now, with Pulisic …

2019-11-22 “Miguel Ibarra’s My Friend” ⚽️ 🔗

2019-11-21 Nothing too surprising in MNUFC’s contract-deadline-day decisions… other than the club …

2019-11-20 Money & Government: Against Economics 🔗

2019-11-19 Andrew Delblanco on Rethinking the Puritans 🔗

2019-11-16 Wendell Berry’s essay “The Pleasures of Eating”—beautifully illustrated and with a new introduction …

2019-11-15 Two Views On Art and Politics 🔗

2019-11-09 Hjemkomst

2019-11-09 I was in Fargo for a couple days for my mom’s birthday. While there, I enjoyed an all-too-rare gift: …

2019-11-06 Ethan Iverson's ECM Artist's Choice Playlist 🎶

2019-11-05 Silence & Music: two of my favorite things. Also the name of a beautiful album by the Gabrieli …

2019-11-05 Daylight savings time: my semi-annual reminder that the government delights in tormenting parents.

2019-11-05 I voted today after work. The poll workers seemed genuinely surprised when I walked in—I bet fewer …

2019-11-01 Lots of news regarding my beloved MN United today ⚽️: Rookie defender Chase Gasper called up to the …

2019-10-27 Early morning nature hike. 📷🍁

2019-10-25 MInnesota United ⚽️ declined contract options on five players today: Carter Manley Collin Martin …

2019-10-25 The Trees of Windsor Green 📷🍁

2019-10-21 MN United FC: Season Recap and Roster Notes ⚽️

2019-10-17 Current reading: Waugh & Engelmann 📚

2019-10-17 Fall at Silverwood

2019-10-13 A fall week in Minnesota. 80° ➡️ 30°.

2019-10-10 I’ve been intrigued by Derek Parfit’s photos of Venice and St. Petersburg since learning …

2019-10-10 Autumn in New Brighton

2019-10-04 Autumn Leaf One of Ruskin’s early lessons in The Elements of Drawing is to draw a leaf, as carefully …

2019-10-03 English is Not Normal 🔗

2019-10-03 I hadn’t heard of Inktober till it was mentioned in the Micro.blog community. But I recently decided …

2019-10-02 So incredibly proud of my brother Andrew Kaul for launching a new design studio, Buddy-Buddy. He and …

2019-09-19 Recently attempted, & abandoned 📚: David Graeber, Bullshit Jobs: A Theory (should’ve stayed an …

2019-09-19 Current reading 📚: David Bentley Hart, That All Shall Be Saved: Heaven, Hell, and Universal …

2019-09-19 These two pieces complement each other quite nicely: First, in FiveThirtyEight: “The Christian Right …

2019-08-28 Morning dinosaur-puzzle time. 📷

2019-08-26 A day when one’s surroundings reflect one’s heart: dreary & a bit deflated.

2019-08-25 If you use Apple Music and you like top jazz, give my ¡¡¡ Top Jazz !!! playlist a listen. (Shuffle …

2019-08-25 Shirley Hazzard's *Greene on Capri: A Memoir* 📚

2019-08-11 San Diego atheist noir: On Patrick Coleman’s *The Churchgoer* 📚

2019-08-09 I made an Apple Music playlist of Hans Castorp’s favorite music in the “Fullness of Harmony” chapter …

2019-07-22 An Anglo-Catholic literary tradition

2019-06-21 Today’s listening: on a recommendation from my father, Pat Methany’s Still Life (Talking), a …

2019-06-19 Oxford’s Schwarzman centre for the humanities

2019-06-19 I really like Ezra Klein’s podcast about half the time. He’s fair-minded, listens carefully, asks …

2019-06-11 I’m excited to be co-leading a reading group on Thomas Mann’s wonderful novel The Magic Mountain …

2019-06-10 A beautiful day at the office.

2019-05-31 It was a beautiful morning for a bike ride to school—perfect, in fact.

2019-05-18 Brad Mehldau’s new album, Finding Gabriel, is apparently the fruit of an intense reading of the …

2019-05-16 I’d listen to Clifford Jordan’s Glass Bead Games just to have a chance to look at the gorgeous cover …

2019-05-07 I wanted to create something useful and practical, you see… And since I also loved books, I …

2019-05-03 Today’s listening: gotta be the new Vampire Weekend album, Father of the Bride. 🎶

2019-04-28 #MNUFC

2019-04-22 Publicly manifested prosperity might well hide a deeper sorrow than we at first could imagine. ~ …

2019-04-19 Agnes Callard on losing philosophical fights

2019-04-19 Riding with the gauchos of Argentina

2019-04-17 I’m re-reading a favorite novel, Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain, preparing for a reading …

2019-04-08 The St. John Passion at the Lab Theater

2019-04-03 The Acropolis vs Mount Athos

2019-04-01 I’ve been listening to a lot of Third Stream recently. So far, though, nothing I’ve found has come …

2019-03-22 Here’s a delightful symposium on personal libraries. The best entries, in my opinion, are those from …

2019-03-21 A disappointingly short, but still worthwhile, portrait of editorial illustrator Anna Parini, whose …

2019-03-06 “Zuckerberg says Facebook will shift focus to private sharing”

2019-03-06 Recommended: this excellent review of a book I plan to read as soon as possible: Martin Hägglund’s …

2019-03-05 I finally cancelled my Twitter account. It was time—I had my fill of toxic nastiness & …

2019-02-24 I haven’t seen The Green Book, and don’t plan to, but still highly recommend reading Ethan Iverson …

2018-11-29 Grateful for some time this morning to read by the fire. More grateful still for a new book by a …

2018-11-28 The incomparable Brian Phillips is featured on the latest episode of Bookworm, alongside man-eating …

2018-11-28 “How Facebook Deforms Us” - a thorough, thoughtful review by LM Sacasas of Siva Vaidhyanathan’s …

2018-11-05 Just discoereved @motyar’s MarkShow: Markdown to Slideshow app. It’s wonderful! I lesson-plan in …

2018-11-03 Recommendation: Spectacle App

2018-11-01 I read a wonderful novel tonight, Patrick DeWitt’s very dark & very comedic “tragedy of …

2018-10-30 I hadn’t heard of translator Anthea Bell until I read her obituary yesterday. But then I realized …

2018-10-28 The implausible idea of a "chief ethics officer"

2018-10-27 A wonderful short essay on soccer & politics in Brazil, from Andrew Downie in the London Review …

2018-10-19 Joan Barry & two forms of political belief

2018-10-19 Fall Walks, Silverwood Park

2018-10-15 Truth vs useful knowledge: Teaching business students *How to Think*

2018-10-12 I work with a lot of different foreign languages, & Korean is my favorite, hands down. The font …

2018-08-27 Everything you need to know about Facebook’s understanding of journalism—in one useful ad!

2018-08-25 Happy 85th birthday to the great Wayne Shorter! We mere mortals can celebrate by reading Ethan …

2018-08-17 Craigslist purchase of the year. $30!

2018-08-17 In a remarkable essay for NYT Magazine, Ilya Kaminsky revisits Odessa, city of his birth. Time & …

2018-07-25 Centrist Democrats in the Age of Trump

2018-07-18 The vast majority of electricity used in the world’s data centres comes from non-renewable sources, …

2018-07-04 Thoreau in Minnesota. I had no idea about this voyage of Thoreau’s; thanks, @rnv, for the link!

2018-07-04 Cavell on citizenship as conversation

2018-07-04 A sobering look at how tech companies conquered America’s cities, by the excellent Farhad Manjoo. As …

2018-07-04 Friends in Europe: there is some excellent jazz coming your way this summer. The Billy Hart Quartet …

2018-06-22 Trump’s description of his parallel reality unwittingly calls to mind his most reckless and …

2018-06-22 *Of Farming & Classics: A Memoir* 📚

2018-06-18 Please read my friend Bharat Ranganathan’s essay on Scripture, immigration, and Christian ethics. …

2018-06-14 So excited for the World Cup, starting today. ⚽️ My prediction for the final: 🇦🇷 3:2 🇧🇷 Dark …

2018-06-10 Michael Dirda, typically excellent, recommends two recent books on Stoicism and ancient philosophy …

2018-06-06 #CINvMIN ⚽️

2018-06-04 View from the desk this morning.

2018-06-02 Children’s Museum

2018-05-31 I’m a sucker for gossip & insider info on editors & publishing. This NYT piece on TLS editor …

2018-05-30 Teju Cole, in conversation with Krista Tippett

2018-05-18 Finished my first Muriel Spark novel this morning, Aiding and Abetting, and greatly enjoyed its very …

2018-05-09 This morning’s listening: the Cedar Walton Trio’s Ironclad: Live at Yoshi’s (Apple Muisc link), …

2018-05-06 All holy books are works of fiction. Saw this bumper sticker today (on the way to church, of …

2018-05-06 My good friend Brad wrote about Mississippi’s Yazoo River, where attempts to prevent flooding …

2018-05-02 Just wrote a long post on awkwardness in Vodolazkin’s “novel” Laurus — …

2018-04-26 From the NYRB, a fascinating essay on Berenice Abbott, jazz-age photographer in NYC and Paris. …

2018-04-13 An exceptional essay by Garnette Cadogan, “Due North”—an oddly edited, but also delightful and …

2018-04-13 These photos of Lake Baikal are absolutely stunning (though I could do without any of the ones with …

2018-04-11 *Laurus* and Dostoevsky

2018-04-09 Addendum to my Cecil Taylor post: Ethan Iverson’s essay on Taylor is remarkable, and does justice to …

2018-04-08 Where Are You, Spring?

2018-04-08 I’m finally starting Eugene Vodolazkin’s Laurus, in anticipation of the Anselm House …

2018-04-07 Christian Democracy in Europe—and America?

2018-04-07 The a-fore-quoted interview with Cecil Taylor harmonizes with this interview with Ursula K. LeGuin, …

2018-04-07 Cecil Taylor, RIP

2018-04-05 Building Anglo-Saxon England

2018-04-03 Timothy Murphy's *Devotions*: Art and Death

2018-03-27 I recommend this conversation in Democracy on whether political parties are dying or strengthening, …

2018-03-10 Robin Sloan’s Sourdough: like Mr Penumbra, simply delightful. I’m half done, and can’t put it down. …

2018-03-05 Alan Jacobs makes a powerful and persuasive argument for the open web in The Hedgehog Review: We …

2018-02-06 A wonderful essay in the TLS on Arnold as poet—his (deliberate) awkwardness, off-rhymes, and the …

2018-01-30

2018-01-30

2018-01-30

2018-01-23 Robert Caro’s responses in this NYRB interview are profound, fascinating, and inspiring—as is the …

2017-12-30 Rebecca Solnit on writing and agency

2017-12-24 Les Murray, “Animal Nativity”

2017-12-22 Restoring the Democrats’ foreign-policy vision

2017-12-22 Rereading Mary McCarthy

2017-12-21 This delightful essay from Sven Birkerts describes his time with a trio of poet-pals who lived & …

2017-12-17 More from that essay on Paul Thomas Anderson: Such restorative attachments are one response to the …

2017-12-17 Paul Thomas Anderson’s “casually Catholic,” Californian upbringing

2017-12-16 A single poem in your head

2017-12-15 Adam Gopnik on Parents’ Greatest Gift

2017-12-15 Imagine if the New York Review of Books had hired a slightly stoned Edwardian fop as art director …

2017-12-10 Very proud of my sister-in-law, Krista Costin, who is performing Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the …

2017-12-10 Snack time, listening to and imitating Auntie @kristacostin live on #classicalmpr. Sounds wonderful! …

2017-12-08 This interview with Sonny Rollins is amazing. The idea of jazz is so spiritual, and it has such …

2017-12-07 I loved fishing and silence. Walking in the hills…. I didn’t talk much. Had opinions about …

2017-12-05 Tonight’s listening: Emerson String Quartet, Chaconnes and Fantasias: Music of Britten and Purcell. …

2017-12-04 Recommended reading: Moyn & DBH

2017-12-03 The Brad Mehldau Trio @ the Dakota

2017-12-03

2017-12-03

2017-12-03

2017-12-01 Really looking forward to this book. Ecklund is an excellent scholar and writer, and this is a …

2017-12-01 Current listening: Hudson, with Jack DeJohnette, John Scofield, & Brad Mehldau Larry Grenadier …

2017-11-29 Ted Gioia’s albums-of-the-year lists are always long and excellent. This year’s list is no …

2017-11-24 Camus, quoted by Izzo: The love we share with a city is often a secret love.

2017-11-21 Current listening: Mavis Staples, One True Vine: I can tell when something’s going on, And …

2017-11-12

2017-11-12

2017-11-12

2017-11-12

2017-11-12

2017-11-12

2017-11-06 A pleasant surprise after a looooong weekend of grading. Reading and writing: I’m easy to please.

2017-10-31 The three little Octonauts. Enjoying this Halloween—undoubtedly the last one they’ll choose …

2017-10-31 The three little Octonauts.

2017-10-28 Lanchester on Scott, Suzman, & Civilization

2017-10-27 October in Minnesota.

2017-10-22 I love these three brave explorers.

2017-10-19 This girl takes her sleep very seriously. #hermothersdaughter

2017-10-17 New arrival!

2017-10-16 On wrath, contemptuous smugness, and slower thinking: Alan Jacobs interviewed by Emma Green for the …

2017-10-15 Beautiful mist on the lake this morning.

2017-10-15 Big leaf pile, beautiful day

2017-09-15 The wonderful Andrew O’Hagen on literature vs. “the dark babble of social media.”

2017-09-01 The London Review of Books has a new podcast up, on Auden. It’s excellent. Supplement with …

2017-08-17 Current listening: two albums from London’s jazz scene: Nubya Garcia’s Nubya’s …

2017-08-13 If forced to pick the greatest song of all time, I might choose “I Want You Back”. That …

2017-08-12 Turns out things are pretty much the same, except wetter, and Siri works better.

2017-08-11 Captain Abemerica. Saving the world, and stopping to smell all the flowers.

2017-08-09 So glad to be present at a very full @AnselmHouseUMN for a talk by Dan Siedell on modern art.

2017-08-07 Current listening: Tyshawn Sorey’s Verisimilitude, a beguiling fusion of jazz & classical …

2017-08-05

2017-08-05

2017-08-05

2017-08-05

2017-08-04 “You are the Product.” John Lanchester, brilliant as always, in the London Review on why …

2017-08-03 D is for dreary.

2017-07-26 Stunning: “The Majestic Marble Quarries of Northern Italy”, h/t Prufrock News.

2017-07-24

2017-07-23 Sandbar, with canoe. Cross Lake, MN.

2017-07-21 “The Economics of the Protestant Reformation”. (I love when academic research like this …

2017-07-19 Current listening: “Lazarus”, from Bowie’s late, great Blackstar.

2017-07-19 Current listening: Matthew Shipp, I’ve Been to Many Places. I especially like his version of …

2017-07-18 Success! Finished uploading old WP posts to my new Jekyll-based site. Next adventure: a custom …

2017-07-18 J.M. Coetzee’s early poetry was written in binary, hex, & FORTRAN, anticipating the …

2017-07-17 On my commutes, I’ve been listening to Tony Judt’s Postwar. It’s a remarkable …

2017-07-16 Digging moss with Nana.

2017-07-16 Current listening: my local symphony orchestra’s recordings of Beethoven’s symphonies.

2017-07-15 Two of the great moral philosophers of recent history are Bernard Williams and Alaisdair MacIntyre. …

2017-07-15 Joshua Cohen is the guest on this week’s episode of Bookworm, discussing his new novel, Moving …

2017-07-15 Spending a big chunk of the afternoon trying to set up my personal site and microblog with Jekyll …

2017-07-14 Polos. Bed head. Ready for their first day of business school.

2017-06-28 This post, on the rift between the White House & the State Department on Qatar, confirms that …

2017-06-27 Current listening: Sun Ra, Monorails and Satellites, vol. 1. Inspired by the remarkable NYT Magazine …

2017-06-20 Current listening: Jobim’s Stone Flower, a melancholy masterpiece of the late Jobim.

2017-06-19 Current listening: Max Richter, from Sleep. Beautiful music, composed about, and for, sleep.

2017-06-17 These two rascals let themselves out of their beds, and their bedroom, this morning at 6:25. …

2017-06-15 Tyler Cowen’s interview with Jill Lepore is, like all his conversations, fascinating and …

2017-06-01 Lucky enough to catch the second set of the Chris Potter Quartet at the Dakota last night. …

2017-05-24 If you are in the habit of kissing your kids’ owies to help them feel better, you better also …

2017-05-18 Abraham #bossinrainboots

2017-05-15 At last… sprinkler season.

2017-05-12 Bravest explorers.

2017-04-14 Wandering and river-watching on a dreary Good Friday.

2017-02-21 Fire sunset #nofilter

2017-02-19 More birthday festivities: morning at the zoo. Sam was rapt—he could have watched the giraffes for …

2017-02-18 Two years old today… Their day included ¾ grandparents, a singing Elmo birthday card …

2017-02-11 #theboys

2017-02-04 The road less traveled.

2017-01-05 Commiseration & consolation for Minneapolis in winter.

2017-01-02 Observing New Year’s Day at the Conservatory. (And zoo.)

2016-12-11 The boys, loving Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (a gift to their big sister on the day of their birth, from …

2016-11-28

2016-11-12 Found my favorite bar in NYC.

2016-11-05 The most beautiful morning for a walk.

2016-11-01

2016-10-23 #BWCA #latergram #nofilter

2016-10-15 Mission accomplished. #tcbookfestival

2016-10-13 Clifford Day!

2016-10-13 Home.

2016-09-14

2016-09-07 The giant playground wasn’t quite exciting enough.

2016-09-06 Puddles.

2016-09-03

2016-08-20 Morning at the zoo!

2016-07-16 A beautiful night for soccer.

2016-07-15 ¡Feliz cumplé, Carmen, y adios, arepa!

2016-07-13 Climbing trees at the Farmers Market.

2016-07-11 Abe is just shocked that the gorilla is letting the elephant loose on the world.

2016-07-08

2016-06-29 #ReadingTime

2016-06-22 The boys love their chocolate banana dessert.

2016-06-18 We’ve found heaven on earth for the kids.

2016-06-12 First visit to @functionbrewing! Delighted to finally be here, several years after it opened! cc …

2016-06-11 BFFs. Cc @joelniese @meaganniese @kdkaul

2016-06-09 Road trip!

2016-05-17 Calm.

2016-05-16 The boys are serious about their graham crackers. #latergram

2016-05-01

2016-04-29 Belated birthday celebration. Lil was pretty excited about singing—and the boys were just concerned …

2016-04-09 Dinner with friends … Lots of friends.

2016-04-03

2016-03-26 Easter egg hunt! Lil just ran around, a little too terrified of the other kids to pick up any eggs.

2016-03-22 Waiting for the bus.

2016-03-12 Beautiful day for a @hellopizza_mn picnic!

2016-03-11 Spring! At last! The boys, it turns out, are pretty interested in this thing we call the outdoors.

2016-03-06 Spent a lot of time today photographing trees. #treesofinstagram

2016-03-05

2016-03-05 Long walk, blue sky, lake country.

2016-03-03 Painting time!

2016-02-28 Well, two out of three enjoyed the walk this afternoon. Abe, however, was a bit cranky.

2016-02-27

2016-02-24 Window shopping. (One of the dishes at this place is awesomely named “The Prime Rib of Miss …

2016-02-23

2016-02-23

2016-02-21 Many of Osip Mandelstam’s own poems only exist today because they were memorized by his wife …

2016-02-18 Happy birthday, Abe & Sam!

2016-02-16 Giant snow octopus. Only in New Brighton.

2016-02-13 Breakfast for the boys: all of grandpa’s eggs.

2016-02-10 Sunrise, New Brighton style

2016-02-09 Robot!

2016-02-05

2016-01-31 Sammy: so happy; so confused by glass.

2016-01-23 Birthday!!! Thanks for the great par-tay @monnytam @fargofd @deborahkaul @andrewkaul @ryanleedawes …

2016-01-20 Thanks for the Amazon gift card, @monnytam & @fargofd – it was put to good use. 📕📗📘📙

2016-01-05 Time for a quick early morning snooze.

2016-01-04 Sick day with Nana D.

2016-01-03 Malingering.

2015-12-28 Snow + Angel

2015-12-27 Weekend project with Pa Kaul, finished!

2015-12-25 Christmas with the Kauls.

2015-12-20 #TreesofSilverwood

2015-12-20 #TreesofSilverwood

2015-12-20 Evening walk with the boys.

2015-12-05 I’ve seen a lot in these last nine months. But nothing quite so gag-inducing as what the boys …

2015-12-02 Sammy, really excited for bedtime.

2015-11-30 The office today.

2015-11-28 Fun day with Auntie @kristacostin, Grandpa @fargofd, @monnytam, @ryanleedawes, and @karincostin!

2015-11-23 Cozy moment this morning.

2015-11-14 Sammy, pretty proud after pulling himself up for the first time.

2015-11-03 Evening walk #nohatsnocoatsnovember

2015-11-02 Someone’s kids haven’t quite adjusted to daylight savings yet. On the plus side, …

2015-10-31 Lil, worried she would scare people because she looked so much like a real lion, decided to reassure …

2015-10-29 I’d describe her style as Van Gogh with a bit of Turner.

2015-10-24 Morning menu planning.

2015-10-19 Lil exploring the lake with Nana D.

2015-10-17 Successful day at the #twincitiesbookfestival

2015-10-15 Someone started crawling today! Evidence captured by auntie @karincostin

2015-10-10 Apple picking, pumpkin patching, and CHICKENS!

2015-10-07

2015-10-07 Full boys = happy boys.

2015-09-21 Morning play time.

2015-08-21 Rise and shine!

2015-08-17 #freshhoney

2015-08-17 Another early morning–the boys didn’t want to miss the loons. Instead, they woke the …

2015-08-15 First morning at the lake. It’s an early one.

2015-07-29 #bedhead

2015-07-22 New chalk is all meticulously lined up. Thanks @kristinvarella!

2015-07-20 Fun at @monnytam’s cc @fargofd

2015-07-03 Sam & Grandpa

2015-07-03 Abe & Nana D

2015-06-28

2015-06-15 Well, at least one of them thinks I’m funny.

2015-05-25 karincostin #twinspics

2015-05-24 MiniMessi

2015-05-23 At least one of them’s in a good mood today!

2015-05-21 The boys are 3 months. That means soon I won’t be able to put them on the kitchen table …

2015-05-02 Jason Moran + Robert Glasper, at the Walker. Absolutely amazing.

2015-04-18 Happy birthday, boys!

2015-04-16 Beautiful day on campus.

2015-04-15 Thanks for the visit, @kristinvarella! (Also, Lilli’s pretty pumped about her sweet new …

2015-04-11 Weekend with the nephew. He’s the smiliest kid ever.

2015-04-10 #twins

2015-04-04

2015-03-30

2015-03-19 Lil loving her new bicycle. Thanks @karincostin for the sweeeeet helmet!

2015-03-14 After taking care of the boys all night, the grandparents still seem to love them.

2015-03-04 Two weeks old.

2015-02-26

2015-02-26 Sleeping in on a Friday.

2015-02-22 Abraham Andrew and Samuel Ryan, soaking up some sun at 4 days old. Enjoy it while it lasts, boys.

2015-02-14 Party time, with pickle.

2015-02-02 Surprise spaghetti night with “nampa Kim”!

2015-01-03 Mesmerized by hopping animals. #Walker75

2014-12-30 Nightly reading to Curious George in the laundry basket.

2014-12-26 Christmas reading with uncle @andrewkaul and auntie @baileekaul h/t on Once Upon an Alphabet: …

2014-12-20 Costin Christmas

2014-12-09 Beautiful morning. #latergram

2014-12-08 The moment I’ve been waiting for. #windinthewillows

2014-11-10 Snow snow snow!

2014-10-31 Halloween!

2014-10-25

2014-10-13 I love you most of all, my darling, When autumn leaves start to fall.

2014-10-11 Afternoon at the lake. #latergram

2014-10-05 Piano with grandpa

2014-09-27 In a corn hole world, horseshoes doesn’t stand a chance.

2014-09-26 A moment with Schiller on my ride into work this morning.

2014-09-14 Blankets! With uncle @andrewkaul

2014-09-07 Scoping out the lake.

2014-08-30 Costin family photo day @karincostin @kristacostin @ryanleedawes @fargofd

2014-08-30 Somebody smudged the mirror @askovfinlayson… @andrewkaul

2014-08-27 Beautiful walk with the little one around the lake tonight.

2014-08-23 Probably should have emptied the pool after it rained…

2014-08-22 Her father’s daughter.

2014-07-17 Still Lil with flowers.

2014-06-22 #ComoPark

2014-06-17

2014-06-11 Smelling the summer flowers

2014-05-20 The scratcher! With @ryanleedawes, @fargofd, @andrewkaul, @baileekaul

2014-04-17 HI! Lilli’s new favorite word.

2014-02-26 Like father, like daughter.

2014-01-15 Someone really enjoyed her dinner this evening.

2014-01-04 A page straight out of @kristinvarella’s cookbook!

2013-12-28 This game is dum.

2013-12-28

2013-12-25 Great gift, @kristacostin!

2013-12-25 Opening her first Christmas gift with aunt @karincostin (#book)

2013-12-24 On a one-day drive across both Montana and North Dakota, everyone needs to pitch in! #latergram

2013-12-20 First day of Christmas skiing.

2013-11-04 Morning walk to work.

2013-10-24 Sleeping in.

2013-10-12

2013-10-10 Vancouver. I could get used to this place.

2013-09-25 Naptime

2013-09-25 Playtime

2013-09-22

2013-09-14

2013-09-12 Trying to start crawling and standing on the same day.

2013-09-07 Napping at daycare

2013-09-05 #onlyinbloomington

2013-09-02 Labor Day picnic at Bryan Park

2013-08-31

2013-08-24 Air balloons, / the summer evening: / both quickly gone

2013-08-17 The fried butter put Lilli straight to sleep. #INstatefair

2013-08-16

2013-08-13 Wild times with buddy Billy!

2013-08-13 Still life with soccer ball, cook books, and baby.

2013-08-11 Lazy Sunday afternoon

2013-08-10 I love the new toy, it’s delicious! Thanks aunt @karincostin!

2013-08-02 Sitting is so much fun!!!!!

2013-07-30 Sourdough. Heirloom tomato. Bacon. Cheddar. Avacado. #masterchef

2013-07-27 Applesauce!!!!

2013-07-20 #indy #pipeorganbuilders?

2013-07-20 #indy

2013-07-19 Smile time with gramps.

2013-07-19 Trying so hard to crawl.

2013-07-15 Dancing with gramps! So much fun!

2013-07-14

2013-07-12 New jumper!

2013-07-11 First bites of food! Everybody’s favorite: oat cereal.

2013-07-02 Reading time.

2013-06-30 The next Messi.

2013-06-22

2013-06-22

2013-06-20 Swing + foot = contemplation

2013-06-18 Bath time!

2013-06-16 “My dad totally rocks!” ~Lil’s onesie

2013-06-16

2013-06-15 Someone’s looking forward to lunch.

2013-06-13 Somebody learned how to roll over today!

2013-06-09

2013-06-08 Life is good.

2013-06-08 Alley view of the Bloomington square.

2013-06-08 Farmers’ Market

2013-06-08

2013-06-08 Standing is so much fun.

2013-06-08

2013-06-05 Bed time.

2013-06-04 Hummingbird!

2013-05-31 Serious Liffrig discussion, post-wedding. #kaulwedding

2013-05-31 With the lovely couple #kaulwedding

2013-05-31 Oh boy. #kaulwedding

2013-05-31 Wedding dance whaaaa??? #kaulwedding

2013-05-31 Wedding dance whaaaa??? #kaulwedding

2013-05-31 Pre-wedding bath!

2013-05-30 karincostin no kidding!

2013-05-29

2013-05-29 With Grandpa Arlen

2013-05-22 Catnap.

2013-05-05

2013-05-04

2013-05-04 Today, suddenly, toys are fascinating.

2013-05-02 Go, dog. Go!

2013-04-28 Now naptime.

2013-04-28

2013-04-28

2013-04-28

2013-04-28 Playtime!

2013-04-27 #30thbday @kristinvarella

2013-04-27 #30thbday

2013-04-27 #30thbday

2013-04-27 Sleeping in.

2013-04-13 Lilli’s first trip to the east coast… And mine! #providence NYC is next, @jnetsamyn!

2013-04-12 “My carseat is awesome!!!!”

2013-04-06 Reading time with pa.

2013-04-06

2013-04-03 Time for a walk with ma!

2013-04-02 Inaugurated into the classic Gpa Kent evening snooze tradition. With @fargofd

2013-03-31 andrewkaul feeding Lil

2013-03-31

2013-03-31 With @ryanleedawes, @kristacostin, @andrewkaul, Gma Tammy & Gpa @fargofd. And taken by …

2013-03-31 With @meaganniese and @hendersweet

2013-03-31 With @andrewkaul, @ryanleedawes, and @kristacostin

2013-03-31 Lilli’s Easter Sunday baptism!

2013-03-30 Time for breakfast!

2013-03-29 Suspicious of uncle @andrewkaul

2013-03-29 Meeting uncle @andrewkaul

2013-03-29 Ready to meet uncle @andrewkaul!

2013-03-26 Two months!

2013-03-21 Right after the big grin, of course!

2013-03-17 Lovin’ life!

2013-03-17 Loving’ the bath!

2013-03-15 Boss dad

2013-03-12 Someone got a sexy new haircut! Ye-yeah!

2013-03-12 Quiet Lilli

2013-03-04 Lilli in Grandma’s cocoon. So cozy.

2013-03-02

2013-02-25 Snoozing in the laundry pile.

2013-02-23 4 weeks today!

2013-02-17 Chillin’ in the chair.

2013-02-16 ryanleedawes has new buttons!

2013-02-16

2013-02-16 Reaching for the stars with aunt @kristacostin.

2013-02-16 Everyone’s favorite sleeping position: arm suspended mid-air.

2013-02-16 Nap time, again. Lazy kid.

2013-02-16 Three weeks old. And loved by auntie @karincostin! (And her other aunties too!)

2013-02-12 Meeting Grandpa!

2013-02-12 “Grandma loves me”

2013-02-12

2013-02-11 Tammy’s birthday!

2013-02-09

2013-02-09 Sunroom

2013-02-07

2013-02-07 With my girls.

2013-02-07 She’s already got attitude.

2013-02-05 Pizza with the reles!

2013-02-04

2013-02-03 SuperBowl par-tay!

2013-02-03 Flannel fort.

2013-02-03 With Aunt @kristacostin.

2013-02-03 Sunday best.

2013-02-03 Squirmy.

2013-02-03 Nap time.

2013-02-03 Sunday morning laziness.

2013-02-02 Friends. Amazing.

2013-02-02 Happiest mama on the block.

2013-02-01 Cozy Moby

2013-02-01 Chillin’ to Bill Evans with dad, for whom side-lying is an incredible revelation.

2013-01-31

2013-01-31

2013-01-30 With aunt @kristacostin for some amazing lunch from @kristinvarella

2013-01-30 USA-Canada last night. Lilli’s first soccer match put us both to sleep. Her more quickly than …

2013-01-30 Home from my doctors appointment and doing well!

2013-01-29 Home sweet home (2:45 am version, w/tornado warning & no sleep)

2013-01-29 Home sweet home

2013-01-29 Kristin

2013-01-29 First car ride

2013-01-29

2013-01-29

2013-01-29 The happy family

2013-01-29

2013-01-29

2013-01-29 This one’s for you, Aunt Ems #riskyflash

2013-01-29

2013-01-29 Sleeping beauties

2013-01-29 Death grip on the finger

2013-01-28

2013-01-28 With the old man