Graham Sedam Writes

I have a friend. Let's call her "Felicia." She says amazing a lot. Well, she did for a while in her Facebook posts. I'm not sure if she realized this. I imagine she understands what the word means and the intensity it beckons. So many things are amazing---it's amazing . And while I may be "kidding around" about this, it's nice to see someone who is being appreciative. Too many times, I see the opposite. Humans can be so ridiculous. Get something for free, unearned and undeserved? Complaints. Have a better life than 75% of the people on the planet? There will still be loads of complaints. You just wait. I know it's not always easy to stay positive, but some people just don't want to be or don't know how to be happy. Some people don't understand what they do have. We all take something for granted at some point. We are influenced by the people we are around. If those people are negative, then we are susceptible to catching that ...

There's a ninja in my backyard. Well, to be precise, he lives in a house adjacent to my backyard. I'm not so sure he's a ninja, but we've branded him The Ninja, and it's stuck. He's usually dressed in a brown hooded robe, so perhaps he's more like some kind of warrior monk or monk warrior. The order in which the descriptive words appear can tell two different back stories; one must be careful. Either one of those would seem more appropriate than The Ninja, but in our hasty ignorance, we were quick to name him. He may, in fact, not have a name at all, but there's no way to know for sure. He's elusive. Sometimes, if I'm lucky, I can see him do what he was born to do: fight. I can only see a little during the warmer months, through the leaves of the trees and bushes that provide a natural barrier between our yards. But, we are lucky that justice does not take the winter off. He is commonly found in these cold, harsh times tending a fire, waitin...

On May 19th, I went to see the play "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" put on by the Children's Theater . My daughter won three tickets because she was a Girl Scout Super Seller this most recent cookie season. Super Seller? Yep. She sold over 650 boxes. My wife and youngest son enjoyed the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (that shares the same building) during the show. So it was my daughter, my oldest son, and I that were able to see it. My older kids are more prone to misbehaving and distraction than the average kid, so I was wondering what I had gotten myself into, or rather what my wife had gotten me into. It was general admission, and we were able to sit in the second row, and I had hoped sitting closer would help grab their attention more. I don't know how much that helped, but their eyes were glued to the stage the second it began. As I looked side to side at each of them through the performance, I realized that this was a first for them, and I was able to experien...

On May 18th, a day that forever changed our lives, my wife, my youngest son, and I drove to an Xfinity store to cancel our cable subscription. We are keeping our internet, of course, but we're definitely keeping our minds open about Century Link. We've talked about it for months. We've had a Netflix subscription for over a year. We agreed that once HBO had a stand alone service that we would get that, and then we would be fully prepared ( Come on, buddy, mostly prepared. ) to look the evil beast in the eye and conquer it. Although I was excited to make this change, it really was hard to pull the trigger. There's a sense of security with having cable, and I don't mean the "triple play" home security Comcast pushes so hard. With a middle tier cable plan, you have access to a wide array of channels that will certainly have something for everyone. But along with more variety than any one household realistically needs comes a big bill. I'd be wrong to ...

I have a cousin, and he has a girlfriend. * Oooh la-la!* Settle down. Actually, I have many cousins, but I have one in particular that is doing something unconventional this summer. Ramsey and Heather are traveling the western side of the country, Canada, and Alaska over the next 4 months (3 months by the time I get this posted) and are doing so out of the back of their automobile. * Automobile? Donger need food. * Insensitive racist. * Compared to a sensitive racist ?* Anything's possible. Besides, racist people have feelings, too. Don't they? They will be camping and hiking and doing whatever outdoorsy people do along the way. Where will they poop? I don't know. I never asked. I don't think they mentioned it. At the end of their journey, which started in Colorado, they will be at their new homestead in Montana. And that life will be simplistic. They've been documenting their preparation and transition and their travels so far, and I can only assume they w...