I had a dilemma of which event to attend on the weekend on June17, 1994: Italy vs. Ireland World Cup match in NYC, Arnold Palmer's last round in a major tournament at his home course of Oakmont CC, a free trip to Alaska with backstage passes to

PART EIGHT: The Clean Plate Club

Jul 9th, 2023 15m 14s

This tale started to evolve in my head almost immediately after a friend mentioned washing dishes together as teenagers. It’s about destiny, duty, and restaurant dish rooms.

PART ONE: Now Arriving

Jul 8th, 2023 13m 26s

This Tale evolved in my head on a day when I happened upon three images: the old train depot in Minneapolis, a Lawrence Welk logo, and the stock yards of South St. Paul. Individually, and together, they reminded me of my years between the age

Introduction

Jul 7th, 2023 3m 45s

The Arrogance of Infinity is a collection of 37 real-life tales about the transition from the Industrial to Technology Age.

Opening Days

Mar 30th, 2023 24m 43s

A story about baseball in its many forms.

The Spirit of '76

Apr 19th, 2022 32m 43s

"If you quit when you suck, you'll suck forever."- Mori Calliope

PART THIRTY EIGHT: One Bridge

Jan 20th, 2022 12m 50s

This is a tale of tragedy, but not a sob-story. It’s a remarkable coincidence, and an inspirational reminder to me of the thin threads that bind, and the cycles of human experience that can make one feel never alone.

Part Thirty Nine: One Bridge

Jan 18th, 2022 12m 23s

This is a tale of tragedy, but not a sob-story. It’s a remarkable coincidence, and an inspirational reminder to me of the thin threads that bind, and the cyclical human experience that can make one feel never alone.

PART THIRTY SEVEN: Flight 131

Dec 14th, 2021 15m 56s

A flight from Chicago O’Hare to Minneapolis/St. Paul takes less than an hour. There have been more than a million flights between the cities in my lifetime and I’ve done it at least a hundred times. One in the hundred, one in a million, was wi

PART THIRTY SIX: Food Truck for Thought

Oct 18th, 2021 6m 51s

Our daughter happened to be at a crowded bar where another young woman died in a gun fight.

SPECIAL EDITION: Heartbeats by Peter Stathopoulos

Aug 2nd, 2021 32m 42s

This one is a special edition episode. It features a story written by a man who was my mentor and greatest ongoing influence as a writer. Peter Stathopoulos dedicated the story to me three days before he died on April 10, 2021; Pete was set fr

PART THIRTY FIVE - For the love of Pete

Jul 7th, 2021 16m 56s

Peter Stathopoulos was a loving soul. This one is for him.

PART THIRTY FOUR - Yesterday and Tomorrow

Jul 6th, 2021 8m 11s

Quarantine led my brother to rediscover a book from the family library. The content, and a note inside the front cover, was priceless.

PART THIRTY THREE - Royal Oversight

Jul 5th, 2021 12m 34s

This current-day entry is more Yarn than Tale. It's about Queens, and commoners, and television shows. In the reading, it also features some pretty bad accents. My apologies to our Allies.

PART THIRTY TWO - Opening Days

Jul 4th, 2021 21m 3s

From the "Erector Set in a cornfield," Metropolitan Stadium, to Gramps playing ball with Dizzy Dean, this is my life in baseball experiences from 1961, the year the Minnesota Twins and I were born in Bloomington, through youth, college, and int

PART THIRTY ONE: Tilt the Prism

Jul 2nd, 2021 7m 6s

In the age of COVID 19, we have an opportunity to look at our world in a whole new light.

PART THIRTY: Failure

Jul 1st, 2021 2m 26s

Real time reflection of the violence in Minneapolis and St. Paul after the tragic death of George Floyd.

PART TWENTY NINE: Not Always to the Swift

Jul 1st, 2021 8m 17s

Ecclesiastes 9:11 reminds us that “…the race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong…” Maybe not, but according to Damon Runyon, “that’s the way to bet”.The story of a dramatic race at Canterbury Park thoroughbred track in Shak

PART TWENTY EIGHT: Love Carries the Day

Jun 30th, 2021 7m 14s

Two dear friends, Tim and Kim O'Brien, died tragically in a snowmobile accident on December 29, 2018. This tale reflects on who we who remain must remain thankful despite abrupt loss that is seemingly senseless.

PART TWENTY SEVEN: Emigrations

Jun 29th, 2021 15m 14s

I first wrote this Tale as the intro, but couldn’t resist expanding it into a relative history lesson. It’s about the strength and frailty, and fluidity of family.

PART TWENTY SIX: The Confident Shepard

Jun 28th, 2021 7m 50s

A forward, along with the eulogy of my father, Rex Pickett Jr., a man who epitomized the while male of the Industrial Age, and was also a manifestation of how people can, and must, adapt to the changes within a society evolving from one Age to

PART TWENTY FIVE: Famous

Jun 27th, 2021 9m 1s

My wife's cousin, Thomas Burnett Jr., is one of the key combatants on Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. The story builds upon famous people from Iowa, along with Tom's father and his four brothers to create context around desired and accidental

PART TWENTY FOUR: Mae Day

Jun 26th, 2021 10m 48s

A trip to Madison, Wisconsin from St. Paul, Minnesota leads me to an unlikely stop at the Missouri Tavern at Kickaboo Road and a quiet stretch of Highway 12. For two and a half hours I had an exclusive audience with bar owner, Mae Mefford, a 9

PART TWENTY FOUR: Mae Day

Jun 26th, 2021 13m

A trip to Madison, Wisconsin from St. Paul, Minnesota leads me to an unlikely stop at the Missouri Tavern on a quiet stretch of Highway 12 at Kickaboo Road. For two and a half hours I had an exclusive audience with the bar owner, Mae Mefford,