Pour Me A Story, Vol. 58
feat. Minda Haas Kuhlmann and every actor you've ever known
greetings pals, and welcome back to Pour Me A Story.
in an unprecedented turn of events, I’m writing this edition on Monday night (rather than mere hours before it gets sent out) because I’m “being an organized grown-up” this week.
I mean, that’s not strictly true. tonight’s my last night this week without other responsibility, because by the time this newsletter hits your inbox I’ll have (hopefully) succeeded in pulling off the improbable and completed a very big freelance project on a very short turnaround to meet what the assigning editor called “an aggressive deadline.” good thing I thrive under pressure?
I won’t give away too much about the piece, both out of caution in case I don’t get ‘er done and because it’s not my project to announce, but I will say that if all things go to plan it’ll be the first time I’ve (knowingly) been published in a book. so that’s pretty cool!
Anyway, We Have Company
this week’s guest is my first (I believe?) from the Cornhusker State and definitely the first Minor League Baseball photographer. Minda Haas Kuhlmann and I crossed paths on Twitter a few years ago, probably via two-time newsletter alumnus Adam Jacobi.
now I wouldn't consider myself an MiLB expert by any means (see: the picture of me poorly swinging a bat at a Memphis Redbirds game 15 years ago in last week’s edition) but Minda’s photos are always fun to see crop up in my Instagram feed. I mean, look how cool?
Adrian Crawford: tell us who you are, where you're from, and a fun fact about yourself.
Minda Haas Kuhlmann: Hi, I'm Minda - like Linda with an 'M' - and by day, I'm a property manager. By night and the occasional Sunday afternoon, I photograph Minor League Baseball. I'm from small-town rural Nebraska, USA, and currently live in Council Bluffs, Iowa (just across the Missouri River from Omaha, Nebraska). I once had to be carried out of the ballpark by medics because I jumped off the top of a dugout wrong and sprained my ankle really bad. In front of a Friday night fireworks crowd.
AC: what has life looked like for you over the past few months? hurdles or achievements big or small? light at the end of a tunnel?
It's not baseball season (Ed: at the time of interviewing), and I wish it were. I used to count down the days to spring training the instant the World Series ended, and as such I grew a fiery hatred of winter. Now I embrace winter as much as I can (easy to say in a year it hasn't snowed much here), and the wait for Opening Day feels much more chill. This is my time to do puzzles, stay on top of housework, and luxuriate in sleep. Once the season hits, that all ends.
AC: how do you see the next few months shaping up? what's on the horizon for you and yours?
My spouse and I are trying to buy a house this year, because we have gotten the impression that the one we rent is going to be sold out from under us for industrial development. There are like six active construction projects on our gravel road, and it's not "inching" toward our house so much as it's "sprinting." It's such a disquieting feeling, watching all the trucks and earth movers work so near us. We'd rather try to get out before there's a bulldozer waiting in the driveway.
AC: what's something you've particularly enjoyed recently? could be anything from a funny tweet to a 27-course meal (if it's the latter, can I borrow some money).
This is so minute, but I've really come to enjoy the TikTok "For You Page" that I've cultivated. I know that app is supposed to be absolutely rotten for the brain and self-esteem, but I like the blend of feminism, house cleaning hacks, and Harry Styles videos that I can get in a half hour scroll. Or hour, or whatever. Who's counting? All of this is to say, we just found a leak under our toilet and I know I can fix it for like $5, and that's mostly thanks to TikTok.
AC: are there words you try to live by or an experience that's informed how you tackle problems or challenges?
I've been finding inner peace with a combination of "There are no rules" and "no one cares." The first one honors the fact that, if we're being honest, most adults are just out here, flailing to figure stuff out as it comes to us, while maintaining the illusion that we've known all along how to handle each thing. What a lie!! Literally, as long as nobody is being harmed and your actions won't put you in prison, just deal with stuff the best you can in the moment; there aren't actually rules for most of day-to-day life and there is also no trophy for getting everything the most "correct."
Which dovetails nicely into "no one cares!" Because we're all out here just flailing, no one is actually paying as much attention or giving me as much criticism as I've typically given myself for every mistake (or perceived opportunity to make one). So I might as well just do my shit, because getting hung up on what people might think of me gets me nowhere.
AC: what's the best sandwich you ever ate?
I once had a Fat Sandwich with macaroni and cheese on top, after a night of partying with friends I met from the internet in Madison, Wisconsin. I don't remember if the sandwich was actually "good," but it seemed like it was sent from heaven considering the drinking. The internet pals and I are still in touch! Hi guys!
AC: each edition's guest gets to choose the song of the week (or whatever the publishing interval is). is there a tune that's been on repeat for you recently, or has particular significance to you?
Caroline Polachek - Welcome to My Island. It doesn't have super deep meaning for me, I'm just hypnotized by her voice.
AC: the second special guest privilege is the Free Plug -- you can plug something meaningful or important to you or something infinitely less consequential. sky's the limit!
In my teeny tiny hometown of McCook, Nebraska, my mom runs a nonprofit called the Family Resource Center. They do amazing work on a shoestring budget, but I'm not here to solicit donations or anything for them, specifically. I just want to shout out a few of the services they provide, in case anyone has been looking for an idea to help out in their own communities.
The most visible one, and the one that can be repeated anywhere, is a clothing library! It's totally free and there's no means-testing for joining. It's done on a points-based system. You get like 50 points per child when you sign up, to "spend" on kids clothes from birth through preteen sizes. You earn more points by either bringing back the clothes you "bought" previously, or any other clothes to add to the library. They only use clothing that's clean and in like-new condition, so kids from all economic realities get to dress nicely. It's SO cool. You as a parent surely know this, but kids go through sizes so fast! It makes so much sense to just borrow clothes for a few months at a time! The center also does school supply drives, Christmas gift drives where people sponsor families in need, coat drives, and supplies diapers and formula. It's all incredibly cool to see in action whenever I go home for a visit, and every community could use something like it!
Worthy Consumables
as is frequently the case when I sit down to write these things, this week I threw on the TV for background noise and navigated to Hulu to pick a mindless action movie. I always try to pick one I’ve seen 65 times before because otherwise I’m liable to be distracted from the task at hand, so this time I hit on Enemy of the State (1998), a staple on Australian cable TV in the late 90s and early 2000s when I still lived with my folks.
this little action thriller doesn’t require a ton of concentration even if you’re watching it without distraction, but basically as soon as I opened my computer I stopped looking at it for minutes at a time, engrossed in the movie. if you’re not familiar, or if it’s been a while since you checked it out, it has one of the most “late-90s movie” ensemble casts you’ll ever see. setting aside the leads (Will Smith, Regina King, Jon Voigt, Gene Hackman), seemingly every minor character has either a recognizable name and career (Jack Black, Jason Lee, Lisa Bonet) or has that face that makes you do the “Leonardo DiCaprio pointing” meme.
like, look at this! this is just the first two rows of four on a Google search for the cast. these folks have been every movie you’ve ever seen.
anyway, as you may have established, I managed to get through the newsletter without being derailed by the movie, but it’s still a great time. like I said it’s available on Hulu, or probably VHS if you have one of those laying around.
Trying Not To Make It Weird
since my little subscriber base has grown by a decent chunk over the past few weeks, I’m gonna throw a little housekeeping in here because folks ask me about it now and again (they go to a different school, in Canada, you don’t know them).
first and foremost, this is a free newsletter because frankly who would would pay for something that disappears without a trace for months at a time, and I don’t have the time or creativity to dedicate to making sure this is worth spending your hard-earned dollars on each month.
with that being said, if there’s ever an edition you particularly enjoy or you aren’t suffering post-pandemic tip fatigue, you are always more than welcome to throw a little change my way as though I were the guy playing violin in your subway station. I promise it’ll be squandered on renting movies on Amazon or chips or something equally useless.
Parting Note
it’s about that time again folks. Minda was right, that’s a great voice!
thanks as always for tuning in. let’s do it again next week!
— adrian ✌🏻
Another great interview Crawf