I’m so glad that I’m not the only person who is consistently inconsistent.

Source: Time Magazine

Courtesy of Raymond Chen.

Anil Dash wrote about “The Blog Cycle“. It was an extremely accurate description of the ongoing cycles in blogging. One commenter noted the only thing missing was the bullet point for people who write about the cycles of blogging.

We are all so un-original.

I would apologize if it weren’t so altogether normal. It’s time we all accept this fact and learn celebrate and embrace our un-originality. The rhythms of life winter, spring, summer, and fall are un-original, yet there is pleasure to be had in each season of life.

I missed celebrating my third anniversary of blogging on March 13th of this year. The first post was a little light on content. I think I’ve gotten a little more interesting since then.

I wish I could thank each and every one of you for stopping by to read my postings, at least those of you who aren’t trying to jam spam into the blog comments. A special thank you goes out to the people who know me in person and read my blog but don’t tell me that I am their guilty pleasure. I’m honored that you take the time to read about me and whatever I am thinking about.

For the 100′s of people who find my weblog when they are searching for videos of Terry Tate “Office Linebacker” — sorry I don’t know where they are. If I could offer you a parting gift it would be the URL to those commercials.

I’ve been spouting off about spring quite a bit lately. My conscience was bothering me about the photos I have posted because they are from previous years — much later in the season. The photos represented my thoughts but don’t paint an accurate picture of what Minnesota is like at the end of March.

So here are some photos taken tonight. You can see the plants and shrubs are budding, but the flowers haven’t paid a visit yet.

I love pussy willows. They flowers are small, fragile and subtle but they are a sure sign that spring is arriving.

Julie Leung had one of her brilliant “blog bursts” today.

When I hear about someone who lost someone precious I can’t help but wish I could meet the object of so much love and loss. Who were they really, that they left such holes in those around them?

I feel like I’m a person warming myself by the fire of someone else’s love. It’s just so beautiful to read about or see such devotion; I can’t help but stare at the dancing flames or the dying embers. I don’t mean to be rude or intrude; it’s just that love and devotion is so precious and rare, how can I not stop to admire it.

When Julie finished her entry about her brother, she talked about Easter and the hope present in the account of an empty tomb. Is there any bigger expression of the desire that death won’t separate us from those we love than an empty tomb? Even those of us who struggle with faith or believe differently can see the beauty in the hope and the longing to not be separate forever from those who have died.

The memorial Julie made with her memories reminded me of a blog I don’t check quite as often, Seraphic Secret. I stopped by today and felt my emotions swell when I read the following lines.

It’s hard for me to read that quote. I read it and re-read it, honoring the father who has to live that quote. I can’t begin to imagine it.

Julie also referenced Ayelet Waldman’s article, “Truly, Madly, Guiltily” in the NYTimes in her post entitled “Different kinds of kisses.”

Who wouldn’t want someone writing about them that way?

So where does all the beautiful writing about love, loss, desire, and longing leave us?

Same place as usual.

It’s raining in Minnesota tonight. The cold rain of this day will bring gorgeous blossoms soon. They’ll fade all too soon, but the showy burst of color will help me forget the long winter.

I predict that this will be next big thing on ESPN.

World Beard and Moustache Championships — You might want to book your air and hotel now before it’s too late.

I’m not making this up, it was reported by National Geographic.

Seriously, who in their right mind would spend this much time grooming their facial hair?

Be honest, do I have a shot to win?

[Link Courtesy of boing^2]

Current song stuck in my head.

Tonight was so warm and so beautiful, a perfect night to take the kids to the park. I love going down the tallest curly slide with the kids. I was surprised none of the other parents were going down the slide with their kids. One mom laughed at me when she saw at the bottom of the slide. “You should try it,” I said, “it feels like spring.”

Going down the slide instantly transports me to simpler times.

For the second day in a row, I went for a post-lunch stroll without a jacket. Not only were the birds singing, but I saw the first sun bather of the season. Spring has finally arrived in Minnesota.

I love the feeling of the warm sun and wind on my face. While the last winter wasn’t especially brutal, when you live with the cold, the overcast, and the darkness for so long, spring is especially appreciated. Winter has its own beauty, but to me it doesn’t compare to the joys of being outside without the layers and the bulk. I love seeing the birds and ducks returning to Minnesota.

Reminds me of what my son said to me when he was just three. He had been entranced by the geese migrating south for the previous winter. In the spring when we saw a flock of geese landing in the stubble of a corn field near our house he said “Seeing these geese is like a present to me.” He was right, spring and everything that goes with it is a gift.

Spring is reconciliation, hope, laughter, and dreams and all of it is a gift.

Last week when I was in Manhattan, I went to the Today Show with one of my co-workers.

It was kind of an odd experience for me. I don’t really watch the Today Show, so didn’t think it would be that exciting to see the set. I was happy to get up early and take a walk; the Today Show was just a pleasant bonus.

Then, as we were standing outside the cordoned off area, Willard Scott came out and started doing the weather and interacting with the crowd. I was completely energized to be so near to someone I had seen on TV my whole life. I didn’t feel that excited when I saw Ben Stiller when last in Manhattan.

It was peculiar that so many people in the crowd were from Minnesota. I estimate that 1/3 of the crowd was from Minnesota. I wish I would have had the foresight to make a sign to wave around.

P.S. Sometimes who you go with is almost as important as where you go. Having an super enthusiastic fan of the Today Show with me made the whole thing way more fun.