Life posts - Spudart

When your 3-year-old influences your Spotify Discover Weekly June 21, 2019
Amusing to see “The Unicorn Song” in my Spotify “Discover Weekly”. This cute song starts with a little child saying “Unicorns da dumm. Unicorns da dumm”. It sounds like she is saying something about unicorns, but I can’t make it…
32,469 baby girl names list in mobile PDF May 10, 2019
Want an easy way of looking through thousands of baby names on your phone? I tried to find a PDF online with girl baby names, but I couldn’t find anything. So I made my own. And now you can use…
Why I keep Christmas envelopes May 5, 2019
I love keeping the envelopes from mailed Christmas cards. Handwriting What did so-and-so’s handwriting look like? Nowadays the only time we see someone’s handwriting is on the envelope of a Christmas card. Is it messy? Neat? While spring cleaning in…
Sewing as Kintsugi February 21, 2019
You know what I like to do when I’m on the Metra? I like to sew. I repair gloves. I’ve had these gloves since college, making them at least twenty years old. My Aunt Grace and Uncle Jerry gave them…
Backside of hand in pain because of trackpad use? January 22, 2019
Does anyone get a weird numb feeling on the backside of your dominant hand? For the past couple weeks mine has this unusual feeling. Not so much numbness. Not really a pain. Just a feeling like something is inside my…
Invite for Tribune Content Agency holiday party December 26, 2018
How to fit 100 columnists, 15 comic strips, and 50 employees into one holiday invite. This year I was asked to design the invite to our company holiday party this year. Normally, this would be finding some nice holiday stock…
Beta preview of the Maldre Christmas card December 26, 2018
I have a penchant for creating really complicated Christmas cards. This year I decided to print fifty photos onto strips of paper. Then slide those strips into a clear plastic ornament. Kinda crazy. But also kinda fun. Here’s a preview…
Yoga Kittens discovered at a grocery store December 20, 2018
Your local grocery store is a discovery-land, full of many hidden treasures. Today I found such a gold mine. My wife Sarah has a Secret Santa at work that likes yoga. She asked me to go to Jewel to see…
Christmas projection lights, your thoughts? November 29, 2018
Do you know those projection Christmas lights? I can’t decide if they are incredibly awesome, or incredibly lazy. I suppose it depends on how you implement the projection lights alongside other decorations. Pair it up nicely with other decorations, and…
When a retirement home tweets a quotation from you — on your birthday November 20, 2018
Today I turn 43 years old. Then I find out that a retirement home chain tweeted my quote six times! A little ironic. Since it’s my birthday, I’m feeling older. And now retirement homes are plastering my name all over…
Observations of first snow, 2018 November 9, 2018
First snow! Hooray! Snow normally arrives in Chicago on November 17th. Mother Nature Chicago tweeted a great graphic by the Chicago Tribune: This year, on November 11th, the snow as a tad early. I woke up a bit surprised to…
What percentage of Flickr’s free accounts have over 1000 photos? November 2, 2018
According to my math, 31% of Flickr’s free accounts have over 1000 photos. Flickr’s CEO Don MacAskill says it’s only 3%. How did I get 31%? Here’s the math: First let me put a disclaimer. I love Flickr. I want to…
Listening to opera and podcasts at the same time October 31, 2018
I love listening to the WFMT concert every Wednesday. They broadcast it live from the Chicago Cultural Center. One of my favorite places in Chicago, it’s also now right across the street from where I work! I go to the…
When you want to go to the art museum, but have to grocery shopping instead October 17, 2018
Want to visit the Art Institute of Chicago?—but wait—you are out of yogurt. That’s the dilemma I found myself in this afternoon. I wanted to visit some fine art, but I was out of fine yogurt. Perhaps one can survive…
Adding prayer to 23andMe’s survey October 4, 2018
The genetic service 23andMe has DNA samples from over 3,000,000 individuals, including myself. They ask these people to fill out surveys to help uncover genetic connections to allergies, psychiatric disorders, and diseases. I love filling out the surveys to help…
Sylvester Stick loves the Chicago Bean and the Louisville Slugger logo October 3, 2018
Amidst the hectic tourists of Chicago’s Millennium Park lies a number of peaceful sections. A line of eight Sycamore trees is reminiscent of the Gardens of Versailles in France. This gallery of tress is one of my favorite quiet areas…
Taste of Chicago titanic turkey leg timeline July 11, 2018
The giant BBQ turkey leg is the Taste of Chicago’s most iconic menu offering. A giant Fred Flinstone-sized turkey leg slathered in BBQ sauce. Guaranteed to make a mess. Guaranteed to be fun to shred apart. (My ten tips on…
I did a five-foot wide pencil rubbing on my last day in the Tribune Tower June 15, 2018
Goodbye, Tower. I just left the Tribune Tower for the last time. On my way out, I made a giant five-foot wide pencil rubbing. Here’s a four-minute video with me narrating its creation along with a time-lapse. Etched into the…
Stumbling upon the Tribune Tower farewell speech given by the Chicago Tribune head editor June 8, 2018
Well, I just happened to stumble upon the Chicago Tribune editorial floor right before the head editor gave a speech to the entire staff. I work on the 3rd floor with the advertising staff of the Tribune. Editorial is on…
Why I’m not that sad to leave the Tribune Tower June 8, 2018
Many of the Tribune journalists have been tweeting and writing emotional stories about leaving the Tribune Tower. The Tribune big columnists are writing some very poignant stories. Page two columnist John Kass, architecture critic Blair Kamin, Pulitzer-Prize winner Mary Schmich…
What World Cup team should you root for? Your DNA will tell you May 20, 2018
If you are an American, you won’t be able to root for the USA in the World Cup this year. For the first time in three decades, USA failed to qualify. You might just shrug your shoulders and move on.…
Embrace being a multipassionate by @VioletaNedkova May 10, 2018
Are you a creative that feels like your personal work lacks focus? That your mind is all over the place with too many projects? It’s ok. More than ok, it’s wonderful! This Twitter thread by Violeta Nedkova will encourage you…
Spudart.org is back to a semi-regular frequency of blog posts May 8, 2018
It’s great when you feel like you are accomplishing something. On spudart.org I’ve made 35 blog posts so far this year. That number surpasses what I did in 2017 (33), and in 2016 (also 33). I attribute this to my…
Start of summer 2018 in Chicago May 2, 2018
DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING The sweet sweet alert DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING The sound of summer starting. DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING Summer is here! When the weather gets…
The first tulips are now blossoming in downtown Chicago! May 1, 2018
The tulips are wondering, “Is it ok to come out?” After the fourth-coldest April in Chicago records, the temperatures are finally starting to warm up. Huddled underground for months, the tulips are finally feeling the warmth. They are mustering up…
Walgreenslistens offers a beautiful public plaza, along with a $3,000 sweepstakes April 30, 2018
Ah, the joys of the beginning of spring. The weather is so nice that you can sit outside and enjoy the day. The Walgreens at the historic Wrigley Building in Chicago has a fantastic outdoor plaza. Get a snack and…
Making your to-do list fun with silly ideas April 5, 2018
My to-do list sometimes looks pretty silly—and that’s the way I like it. Here are two fun items on my to-do list: [ ] Blog about if birds—specifically robins—run or do they hop? Seriously. I saw a robin the other…
Voting helps you feel connected in your new neighborhood March 20, 2018
You move to a different neighborhood and make the adjustments to the new area. Voting is one of the best ways to feel like you are a part of where you live. Last summer, my wife, one-year-old daughter, and I…
IWU: Push past the boundaries of your creativity January 19, 2018
My four years as an art major at Illinois Wesleyan University were some of the best years of my life. The students and professors taught me how to think critically as an artist. We weren’t just technical drones producing work,…
Our yarn for the next five years December 22, 2017
Instead of ribbon, I use yarn. Every single gift I’ve given the past five years has been decorated with this same yarn. Today our supply ran out, so I biked to Hobby Lobby to buy a new bundle of yarn…
Starting up a one-line diary May 22, 2017
Every day write one line summarizing that day. I call it the one-line diary. Easy to update. Easy to read. Easy to update Longer journals can be daunting to write. Bullet journals can be intense with all their code and…