Author Archives: Karl Swedberg

Take a Stanza — The Windhover

September 18, 2016

When I first read this poem back in college, I loved it so much that I committed it to memory. It’s funny to think I had time to do things like that back then. And I’m glad I did, because … Continue reading →

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Byberry

May 15, 2016

A few years ago while spelunking in my mother’s basement, looking for long-forgotten family treasure, I came across a stack of photocopied newspaper articles from the 1980s fastened together by a rusty paperclip. The articles, both fascinating and horrifying, reported … Continue reading →

Posted in family | 9 Comments

Augmented Audio: Living with In-Ear Technology

October 27, 2015

As I headed out to the gym the other day, with my progressive-lens glasses, high-tech crutches, and stormtrooper stabilizing boot, it occurred to me that I looked a little like a cyborg—which got me thinking about my friend Sara Hendren … Continue reading →

Posted in technology | 1 Comment

Little Red Riding Hoods

May 9, 2015

Last week I went with some friends to an improv show. For one of the segments, the improv group had to act out a fairy tale suggested by a member of the audience—Little Red Riding Hood—in increasingly shorter time spans. … Continue reading →

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Grand River, Then and Now

April 19, 2015

Two years ago Grand Rapids, Michigan, experienced its worst flooding in over 100 years. The Grand River, which runs alongside the downtown business district, swelled to dangerous levels, flooding nearby offices, submerging some homes up to their roof lines, and … Continue reading →

Posted in miscellany | 1 Comment

One win, one loss

January 11, 2015

Last year around this time I wrote about two new year’s resolutions that I was going to try to keep: to read at least six books and to write at least six blog entries.

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Twitchy

April 13, 2014

If you’ve ever had a twitching eyelid, you know how annoying it can be. If it continues to flutter for many days or weeks, you know it can get downright frustrating. Imagine what it would be like to have your … Continue reading →

Posted in miscellany | 3 Comments

Resolute

January 1, 2014

This word — resolute — doesn’t show up as much in my reading as its verb and noun counterparts, resolve and resolution. It seems a little too formal for most writing occasions. Yet there’s something about it that I like. … Continue reading →

Posted in miscellany | 1 Comment

Tash

January 26, 2013

One day several years ago when I was suffering from depression and anxiety, I came home from work to find a small piece of plywood with a simple painting on it, done in the style of a local artist. Across … Continue reading →

Posted in friends and neighbors | 6 Comments

The Gym

July 11, 2012

After many frustrating months of trying to run for exercise and failing because of ongoing problems with my calf muscles and Achilles tendons, I started working out at 8th Day Gym (they’re on Facebook). I was already aware that I … Continue reading →

Posted in self-indulgence | 4 Comments