Tag Archives: Growing Up

My First Computer Was Basically a Boat Anchor

Posted on February 1, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Before hard drives fit in our pockets and computers updated themselves overnight, my first experience with “home computing” involved cassette tapes, a television screen, and optimism that wildly outpaced performance. Continue reading →

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The Blanket That Went Everywhere I Went

Posted on January 10, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

When I was five, I ran away from home with a few toys, some cookies, and a blanket. I didn’t get far—but that blanket went everywhere I did, then disappeared for years before quietly finding its way back to me, carrying my childhood and my mother with it. Continue reading →

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Born Into a Small World: What 1966 Taught Me About Hope and Hard Truths

Posted on December 23, 2025 by Douglas Blaine

I was born in 1966, a year shaped by war, civil unrest, and unspeakable violence—but also by music, television, faith, and moments of enduring joy. From the Cold War and Vietnam to Charlie Brown, Star Trek, and a pregnant nun playing Maria in The Sound of Music, it was a year of contradictions. Looking back, I realize that tension—between darkness and hope—didn’t just define the world I was born into. It helped shape the way I’ve learned to live in it. Continue reading →

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