Reverb10 - Soul Food

December 26 – Soul Food What did you eat this year that you will never forget? What went into your mouth & touched your soul?

In no way am I a "foodie". I don't have near-orgasms when I indulge in something delectable nor do I go out of my way to experiment with gourmet-type cooking. I have, though, stepped up my cooking game and become more adventurous and injected some much-needed variety in the meals I prepare but the best food is often times something prepared by someone else and this year's most memorable meal fits in that category.

Again, flashing back to our early September vacation to the north shore of Lake Superior -- staying in Tofte, MN -- the first evening of our long weekend there we ate at the Coho Cafe and Bakery. I remember ordering a small wild rice sausage pizza. I'm a big fan of pizza and seeing the promise of homemade wild rice sausage, homemade sauce and a hand-tossed crust made my mouth water.

When the pizza arrived at the table, I stared at it. It was a work of art. Huge sausage balls atop what appeared to be cheese so fresh there had to be a cow tied up just outside the rear entrance to the kitchen.

Then I grabbed that first square-cut piece. The cheese was so perfectly stringy that it never completely broke free from the main pizza. I took one appropriately-sized bite and I knew at that moment that this was the single best food I had eaten all year long. Everything about it tasted fresh. The suburban stip mall pizzerias tasted like dog shit in comparison and the national and regional chains were utter garbage when compared to the pizza at Coho Cafe and Bakery.

In short, the Wild Rice Sausage Pizza at Soho Cafe & Bakery in the barely-there village of Tofte, MN truly did touch my soul this year.

Reverb10 - New Name

December 23 – New Name Let’s meet again, for the first time. If you could introduce yourself to strangers by another name for just one day, what would it be and why? (Author: Becca Wilcott)

I've always asserted that a strong -- likely one syllable name -- is what makes a man. I'll venture out on a limb and say that, as a country, we'll never see a male president with the name of Tracy or Kim. Darryl sounds a bit too backwoods and even my own name -- which I'll omit for my own privacy -- will probably hold me back from having a position of great power because it is a two syllable name.

Having said that, a powerful name with a certain punch is what makes a great name for a guy. Doug, Mark, Paul, Zack, Chris, Matt... those are all somewhat powerful, punchy, one syllable names and while I feel that I've grown into my name, I'd choose any one of those names I mentioned as my own. I think that, specifically, Mark or Doug would be appropriate names. Of course I picture Marks with thick, luxurious beards and Dougs to be almost always sporting a well-work baseball hat outside of their work environment. I'm also a strong advocate that a last name ending in an 'N' should never be paired with a first name ending in the same letter. It's one of my grammatical sticking points because it can lead to a serious case of mushmouth. It certainly doesn't lead to a fluid pronunciation of said name but being saddled with what the very grammatical sticking point I described, maybe you should just call me Doug because I don't have the patience to grow a thick, woodsman-like beard.

Reverb10 - Future Self

December 21 – Future Self. Imagine yourself five years from now. What advice would you give your current self for the year ahead?

Hey, so you turn 32 years old this year. You may think that's old but I'm turning 37 and, you know what, that's almost 40 so quit your bitching. Yeah, your knees are in worse shape now than they were back in 2011 but that's because you still insist on doing some pretty stupid shit. A word of advice, replace the gutters on your house and do it right because that little incident way back in 2008 when you insisted on crab walking along half of your roof line with a small garden trowel in hand to clean the leaves, seeds, branches, gravel and other assorted crap out of them was flat out stupid. You do realize how high up your roof is and that your driveway isn't made of feathers, right?

Don't worry about going gray or having thinning or even balding hair. Trust me, in the next five years you barely add to your rather distinguished collection of gray hairs so quit asking our wife to pluck them with that damn tweasers. She hates it and it makes a terrible fucking mess and we both know how little you like cleaning.

And another thing, quit fretting about your job. The powers that be, even though it doesn't seem like it to you in 2010, recognize you as one of the cornerstones of the company. Even though you see no possibility of moving up -- and instead view your only hope of advancement as moving out -- there is hope. All that crap you're struggling with in your down time will lead to that move up you've been looking for. It's actually going to be pretty big so that place in the country you're always half-joking about will happen. It also seems that you were serious about having an orchard of sorts because the amount of pears, apples, grapes, blueberries and other fruit you sell and give away is pretty astounding. And that stuff you give away finally shows yourself that you have a heart because that fresh produce helps alot of people and keeps plenty of families from going hungry. You don't have to worry about looking greedy because for everything you think you've been handed without working hard enough for, you are now working harder than ever and end the days feeling exhausted but also fulfilled.

Lastly, stop thinking of yourself as a nomad. Those neighbors you have in 2010 will make some damn good friends and even though you do, in fact, move again a few years later it isn't very far and with that place in the country you find yourself doing alot more entertaining and mixing old and new friends will prove to be easy as, amazingly, they all just get along and actually have shared interests.

Just keep your chin up. That hard work will pay off and don't let the downfalls hold you back. Every mistake will actually propel you forward and teach you something. Vague, right?

Reverb10 - Lesson Learned

December 17 – Lesson Learned. What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward? (Author: Tara Weaver)

The biggest thing I learned this year is that I can actually find something positive in changes when everyone around me only sees negatives.

Negativity has always been, for lack of a better word, my trademark. I'm not a negative person but for whatever reason I have always found the negative in most every situation. Maybe it's because I'm a pessimist or maybe it's generational. After all, my generation is billed as the first that will not have a higher standard of living than their parents.

But even with always seeing the negative in situations I've managed to keep a positive attitude (for the msot part) and even keep those around me laughing while shining a dark light on the negative. If you can't find humor in something, you might as well be dead, right?

But the past month, from a work standpoint, things have been a bit dark. Faced with an uncertain announcement -- coupled with plenty of lead time before confirming what exactly the announcement entailed -- things got grim. But I asked questions and with those answers actually managed to keep those around me somewhat positive. If you can't triumph over adversity, you stand no chance. Would you rather tackle something head on and try to overcome it or pre-emptively roll over before you've even been defeated?

Reverb10 - Try

December 18 – Try. What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn’t go for it? (Author: Kaileen Elise)

In short I want to try harder. I've never been accused of not giving it my all but I know that have more to give. I have more potential than I currently use. Whether that means that others around me are total slouches or they just don't have the same work ethic as I do doesn't really matter and I have no need or desire to call out anyone's work but I do know that I can do better.

My main goal is to try my hand at being a better photographer. In a year where it seemed that my employer did everything in their power to discourage me from working hard to obtain captivating and artistic photos and opt for the lowest common denominator by both using lower quality photos and using crowdsourcing via amateur sources (resulting in those lower quality photos) for nothing more than a photo credit I succumbed to the lack of encouragement and it showed. I probably captured less than 15,000 images this year and their quality was nothing to write home about for the most part.

But I can do better and I know I have the power to motivate myself and I can make 2011 the best year yet for my photography. While I have no illusions of being a top notch photographer or even obtaining name recognition I know I can be better and try harder. What do you plan on trying in 2011?

Reverb10 - Body Integration

December 12 – Body Integration. This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present? (Author: Patrick Reynolds)

I felt most cohesive this year as we hiked up the Temperance River along Lake Superior. The hike, however short it was, was the most peaceful communing with nature I have felt in quite some time. I don't know if it was simply the change of scenery -- going from a semi-rural Twin Cities exurb to the true northern woods of Minnesota or if it was simply being in a place that was true nature. Waterfalls, trails, crystal blue, unpolluted waters and not having a cell phone ringing or feeling that tomorrow was back to the grind. That hour or two we spent hiking and simply soaking in the raw, natural sights as we traversed rocks and streams was the best I had felt mentally and physically all year long. I hope to build on that one-time feeling in the coming year.

Reverb10 - Wisdom

December 10 – Wisdom Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out? (Author: Susannah Conway)

Wisdom isn't usually something associated with myself but I suppose the even the most inept person breaks out with a wise choice every now and then. I don't know that I made alot of wise choices either personally or professionally this year but even those times when you can't recall something big and important that just screams wise, there's something seemingly small and insignificant that will play out to be hugely wise weeks, months or even years later.

Maybe for me it was in April when my manager went on maternity leave early. Through my own hard work and from the contributions of a team of the best creative professionals I've ever seen we persevered through launching new publications, tackling entirely new ways of handling our work and they sincerely thanked me for rooting them on through three of the busiest months we had ever experienced. They told me that they felt appreciated and that even with an immense amount of work being done they went home not feeling exhausted and stressed but instead feeling happy and looking forward to the next day. In turn, that made me feel accomplished. It made me feel like I was doing something right. We made every deadline and heard zero complaints about people not receiving their projects in a timely fashion.

I then capped it all off by asking for a meeting with a rather new next in command. I flat out asked her about my performance in the past three months and asked if she saw a future where I would be in the very position that I had just filled in on. Her response was encouraging and even now that the days of leaving the office being filled with stress are back and the entire team that I had motivated and appreciated now feels threatened and worried, I am still hopeful that the three month stint I had where I apparently proved myself as a manager will turn out in my favor in the near future. I guess the choices I made during that period were my collective wisest decisions of the past year.

Reverb10: Party

December 9 – Party Prompt: Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans. (Author: Shauna Reid)

Being saddled with a child has left me sadly removed from much in the way of social gatherings involving adults sans toddlers but that hasn't stopped me from having fun. We always have our annual extended weekend retreat to my friend's cabin at a mostly private southern Minnesota lake. On the outside it doesn't sound like it would be a ton of fun because of the setting but I fail to remember a time in my ten or so visits that has been lacking of good times.

This year's event saw that sad but typical once a year gathering of old friends who refuse to stifle their youthfulness despite all having adult obligations. We played rodeo golf for what seemed like hours without end. We played round after round of cornhole. We played like little kids off the end of the dock as, like the inmature idiots we are, we scooped up and threw huge wads of lake weeds at each other and even adorned some of the group with disgusting and unsuspected lake weed wigs.

Each evening was capped off with a bonfire and/or a rather intense round or two of poker. The faces have aged but the ties remain strong even as we scatter across the state and change but that once a year gathering (and other non-annual events like it) keep us grounded and remind each and every one of us where we came from. For most of us, it's as close to a second family as we will ever get.

Reverb10 - Beautifully Different

December 8 - Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different - you'l find they're what make you beautiful. (Author: Karen Walrond)

Brutal honesty. That is the one quality that, for better or worse, differentiates me from others. In Minnesota, there's this supposed quality of Minnesota Nice. It's all about everyone being "just so gosh darn nice" to each other, Everyone's supposedly friendly and virtually uncapable of hostility or rudeness. Well, I see that as a myth. I can't even begin to count how many people I encounter on a daily basis who are total and complete pricks -- and I've lived in Minnesota for my entire life. I even call people out on this trait but in typical Minnesota Nice fashion, I do so with a laugh. And that laugh is what enables me to criticize people directly to their face and end the conversation still on good terms.

That all-important laugh is the shiny wrapper on my brutal honesty. When those two items are paired up it makes hearing what I have to say infinitely easier. I routinely call people out when they are spouting trivial information and wasting my time but end it with a laugh. Maybe that laugh makes people think that I actually enjoyed the exchange of words but if they have any insight and can remember what came before that laugh -- that brutal honesty -- they might very well figure out that I was not pleased, possible even bored, with the conversation.

In short it comes down to being able to wrap up nearly anything with a laugh to soften the blow of what I had just said. My wife noticed this about me and said that this trait -- when coupled with my honesty -- is why I am so well-liked by her family and my co-workers. At least she thinks that both groups like me, I'm not so sure but I'll take that compliment and run with it.

Reverb10: Make

December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (Author: Gretchen Rubin)

Building and creating things with my own two hands is something I love to do. (At least that's what I get out of today's prompt) It keeps me from being technology fatigued in my daily life as a graphic designer and keeps me tied to my roots growing up on the family farm. In 2008 I built a rather impressive swing/play set for my then six month old daughter using a large truck load of lumber, a circular saw and two drills. The amazing thing is that it only took me about twelve hours of my own time and some help from my next door neighbor to move the large tower in to place.

My next project -- in terms of construction -- is to reconstruct my 111 year-old home's front porch. It looks to have been added in the late 1940s or early 1950s -- around the same time as the rear addition of the house and is showing its age. I hope to make it a more livable space as it is currently only usable from late April through early October. It sat mostly unused for the first few years of owning the house but has since become my daughter's favorite place to play while still indoors. At two years old, her toys have become a fixture in the porch -- sharing space with some porch-worthy furniture.

I want this space to be an almost four-season space. New, better-insulated windows, insulation in the ceiling, walls and floor; not to mention a better, more solid foundation, inviting front steps and a period-appropriate front door. It is the one thing most lacking about the home's exterior and I can envision actually using it. Whether it's playing there more often with my daughter, working on the laptop as birds chirp just outside the windows or watching snow fall as we sit, as a family, playing some simple board game. This project will be my largest yet but I know it will happen in the next two years. That's my goal and my goals happen.

My source and inspiration for wonder

December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (Author: Jeffrey Davis)

My greatest source for inspiring my own wonder is my daughter. She turned two years old only three weeks ago and it's amazing to see what everyday, seemingly normal things bring joy to her. She is amazed by Christmas lights, a helium balloon and will almost uncontrollably dance -- that is the thing that inspires me most. She hears music and begins dancing. She even has different moves which, for a two year old, is impressive being that she has more (and better) dance moves than I do.