Taking a Bite Out of the Midwest

Video: Live From Main Street Minneapolis

2008-06-12T20:04:00.002-05:00

FYI, if you ever find yourself wondering how independent progressive media in Minneapolis feel about playing host to the GOP convention this fall, wonder no more. They were pretty vocal about it earlier this week for Laura Flanders.
You can watch the full video here.
Source

New St. Paul Laws: Let’s Par-Tay Till 4 a.m.

2008-03-31T20:38:00.001-05:00

Might the Republicans want to drink until 4 a.m. at their convention in St. Paul in the summer? Some legislators there think so.

In a proposal being considered in the Minnesota House, the last call for alcohol would be pushed back two hours from the usual 2 a.m. for all establishments within a 10-mile radius of the convention site.

The sponsors hope to spur spending at the convention from Sept. 1 to 4 — and also to make the Twin Cities metropolitan region seem “more sophisticated,” as one lawmaker put it.

“Las Vegas is open all night long, and New Orleans is open till dawn,” said Representative Phyllis Kahn, a Minneapolis Democrat who is a co-sponsor of the proposal. “I spend a lot of time in cities like New York and Montreal, and they all seem to have later drinking times.”

The change, which would last roughly 11 days and require suspending a state law, would also allow liquor sales on Sundays. A business that objects to the change would be free to close at 2 a.m. “The 2 a.m. closing hour is actually pretty common,” Ms. Kahn said. “But Paris and London barely have closing times at all.”

Ms. Kahn said she wanted her area to seem at least as sophisticated as other American cities.

“Somebody asked me if I was going to stay up until 4 a.m. partying,” she said.

The answer was no.

Article here

Great Story From My Hometown

2008-03-15T04:02:00.001-05:00

The Lane Game: Seniors participate in Wii bowling tourney

The thundering roll of balls helped turn the multipurpose room of the Sally Griffin Senior Center into a virtual bowling alley Friday.

It sounded like bowling. It looked like bowling. All that was missing was the pin setter, the beer and the garish shoes.

Dozens of seniors from the Peninsula gathered for a Wii video game bowling tournament that pitted teams from The Park Lane Residence by Hyatt in Monterey, Meals on Wheels drivers from Pacific Grove, and the Griffin Center against one other

Greeeen Minnesota

2008-03-13T21:47:00.003-05:00

I'm used to my friends in the Bay Area being avid recyclers and composting, but from my experiences in Minneapolis, it's far less common. I was pleasantly surprised when I found this article on composting in Minnesota:

Hennepin County in Minnesota has developed a multi pronged approach to recycling that now includes organic composting. This program allows individuals and business to separate their trash into two bins, one for stuff that goes to a landfill and one that is stuff that can be composted. 25% of the trash is organic and can be composted: in restaurants it is estimated that over 75% of the waste is organic and does not need to go to a methane producing landfill. Five new businesses are signing on each week and the county is working to meet it’s goal of recycling 50% of it’s waste.

For more information you can contact Randy’s Sanitation in Delano Minnesota.

Once you get in the habit, whether it’s a business or a household, you can reduce your waste, reduce your cost and contribute in a easy way to help the environment.

Congratulations Hennepin County businesses!

Brett Favre Featured in the Onion

2008-03-13T07:26:00.007-05:00

I know that most of you are Viking fans, but there must be a few Packer fans amongst my readers. This morning the Onion featured your beloved hero Brett Favre.

GREEN BAY, WI—The Green Bay Packers addressed questions concerning the current status, future plans, and whereabouts of recently retired quarterback Brett Favre by announcing Monday that they had sent him to the country to live on a beautiful farm with a very nice family.

"We know you loved Brett Favre, but he wasn't happy here. He couldn't stay here," Packers general manager Ted Thompson told hundreds of quiet but tear-streaked Packer fans assembled at the televised Lambeau Field press conference. "And he loved you, too—he loved you very much indeed—but he needed to go someplace where he could run and jump and throw his favorite football around. And he couldn't do that here anymore."

Generalities, Misperceptions, True, and Confrontation

2008-03-11T16:16:00.003-05:00

Max Sparber on MNSpeak posted a pretty funny, well funny to me, link from metroblogger: Top 10 Things Idiots at SXSWi have to say about Minneapolis.

The comments on the MNSpeak posting are hilarious. Minnesotans are just as guilty in regards to stereotypes of other cities. I came across many, many more California stereotypes than I could list today. But to hear the commenters talk it's as if each of these "idiots" at SXSW is performing a personal affront to them.

Most of us are uneducated when it comes to other cultures. True, we're one nation, but each geographic section is vastly different than another. Checkout the current Democratic primaries for further proof. We could all use a class in cross-cultural awareness. I think it sure would help with a lot of the awareness in the United States. For that to happen, Minnesotans or for that matter anyone must be less judgmental of the misperceptions of these idiots. It takes correcting people a time or two for it to sink in. But for that to happen you'd have to be confrontational, and we all know how Minnesotans love confrontation. There I go again with my generalizations...

Bay Area's Take On MN Issue

2008-03-07T18:38:00.004-06:00

I've written previously about the smoking ban, but I forgot to write an entry about how certain Minnesotan businesses are circumventing the smoking ban in a very tricky manner. If I wasn't so anti-smoking in public venues, I'd be impressed that they found a loophole. Don't know what I'm talking about? Under their Weird News section the SFGate has an AP article describing the bar owners wiley ways:

All the world's a stage at some of Minnesota's bars.

A new state ban on smoking in restaurants and other nightspots contains an exception for performers in theatrical productions. So some bars are getting around the ban by printing up playbills, encouraging customers to come in costume, and pronouncing them "actors."

The customers are playing right along, merrily puffing away - and sometimes speaking in funny accents and doing a little improvisation, too.

The state Health Department is threatening to bring the curtain down on these sham productions. But for now, it's on with the show.

The article itself is interesting, but what I really found funny/interesting were the comments from the readers in response to the law/article:

jmd3606:Kevgoins, gee why don't we just have our gov't switch over to a dictatorship that way they can all tell us what we can and can't do because somethings are just too dangerous. How about stairs maybe we should outlaw those...someone could trip and fall. Cars are bad too...too many accidents. Excuse me, but adults should be able to make those kinds of decisions themselves. If I want to have a trans-fat laden dinner and follow it up with a cigarette I should be able to. And if you don't want to be around the smoke then you don't have to go to places where the smoke is.

ninety9 wrote: I'm a guy about 60. When I was a kid the harm done by smoking was regarded as a bunch of hooey put about by uptight adults - along the lines of say, sex [hey, even consorting with 5-fingered Mary] was bad. But In the 60's and 70's it really did come out that smoking was overwhelmingly harmful. And there was a big shift away from it by hipper somewhat arty types for that reason. Its so depressing to see that same crew in the majority of those smoking outside music bars these days. Where the hell did "healthy is hip" get lost?

BenderRodriguez wrote: I'd like to see some actors playing characters with lung cancer ... or speaking through a hole in their necks ...

calrhody wrote: As much as I dig the anti-smoking laws (less laundry and less painful hangovers!), this is pretty funny. I'm sure the collective town of Berkeley is pissed they didn't come up with this one. Maybe they can dress up like actors and rip a few bingers in the Marine recruiting station. They should probably learn to swim pretty soon.

jpk1 wrote: It is perfectly legal to inhale secondhand smoke in Minnesota, just as it is in California. If it makes you happy, you breathe in all the secondhand smoke you want! What is not legal is forcing others to breathe in secondhand smoke on the job. Why: because it's toxic. Secondhand smoke kills. Secondhand smoke causes heart disease, lung disease, and cancer. That's why you're protected from having to breathe it in at your workplace. And bars are a workplace. That's the point. And this "play" misses that point completely. Secondhand smoke is no different from radon or carbon monoxide or PCBs or methyl mercury: it is an airborne toxin and carcinogen, and it is a heart and lung pathogen. Secondhand smoke kills. Any workplace that forces you to inhale it, is an unsafe workplace.

More Local Politcal Talk

2008-03-02T15:27:00.003-06:00

Pete Smith is at it again with his article on Huffington Post: Anyone smell a first amendment zone? For those of you that don't know, the Republican Convention is being hosted in St. Paul, MN, this year. Both the DNC and the RNC will be sure to have protesters this year. St. Paul announced their plan to handle the expected onslaught of protesters.

Smith said:

The guidelines include a primary event area (the area in and around the Xcel Energy Center, a secondary event area (a wider perimeter, the boundaries of which are yet to be determined) and something called a, "designated public assembly area".

And:

According to the guidelines, groups and organizations ho have applied for and received permits will assemble in a, parade staging area". Then they will march along a, "secondary event area parade route" to that designated public assembly area.

But my favorite line from Smith was:

Can you feel the waves of gratification? Can you imagine yourself hiking back to wherever you parked the Prius, 'No Blood For Oil' sign under your arm, thinking, "There. Guess we told those bastards off"?

I'm not sure if I'll still be in Minnesota in September, but there's no doubt that I'll have to check out the scene at the protest.

Minnesota Politics

2008-02-29T00:41:00.004-06:00

I read a lot of political blogs and the Huffington Post is one of my favorites. While it leans far left (who am I kidding? I'm a CA moderate, which is pretty far left across the nation), it's nice to see well thought out, argued points of view from that perspective. Conservatives have won the war of words for decades now, and thanks to the blogosphere, things seem to finally be changing.

Tonight Pete Smith wrote a stinging critique of Minnesota governor Time Pawlenty: Hey, Senator McCain - Take our governor. Please.

I've never been a big Pawlenty fan, but his refusal to sign off on the five cent gas tax was the final straw. Following the HWY 35 bridge failure he said he'd consider such a law to improve the state's infrastructure. At the time, it was politically the right thing to say, but he needs to get his conservative credentials up now that he's got the White House in mind.

The extreme weather here forces us into two seasons: winter and street repairs. Simply put, Minnesotans needed to stop borrowing money to work on the roads. The work needed to be done and the time is now to do. I was proud of the six Republicans who switched sides to override Pawlenty's veto. It's a shame they've now been disciplined by GOP House Minority Leader Marty Seifert.

They deserve to be commended. I've listed their names below:

Bud Heidgerken of Freeport
Neil Peterson of Bloomington
Ron Erhardt of Edina
Kathy Tingelstad of Andover
Rod Hamilton of Mountain Lake
Ron Abeler of Anoka

Thank you for cutting through the gridlock. Minnesota and I thank you.

U.S. Bank Skyway Open

2008-02-28T02:44:00.004-06:00

From Eden Prairie News:

The U.S. Bank Skyway Open returns to the downtown Minneapolis skyways Friday, Feb. 29, and Saturday, March 1. The custom-designed mini-golf course will give Minnesotans a chance to help a good cause while “putting” their way through the downtown Minneapolis skyways. Proceeds from the event benefit the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office/Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities’ Rebound program.

This sounds awesome. I wish I could at least check it out. But I have plans all weekend. Check it out, if you get a chance. For those of you that don't know what the skyway is, here's the Wikipedia that describes it best and shows pictures.

More info here: Skywayopen.org

Token Academy Awards Entry

2008-02-25T20:10:00.008-06:00

Minnesotans seem to either love or hate Diablo Cody. She won every local end of the year award and yet many still view her as a carpetbagger. I enjoy her blog from time to time. I haven't seen Juno yet, but after winning an Academy Award last night for best original screenplay. I don't know her personally, but I've met a few people who have. None of them have terribly good or bad things to say about her, but hey, that's sort of the Minnesotan way, isn't it?

Something struck me while reading the San Francisco Chronicle's entertainment writer Tim Goodman review of last night:

Best adapted screenplay: Diablo Cody. She was working pretty hard to keep that dress together. But she's a perfect example that no matter who you are, if you turn on a pitch and get all of it, you can go places.

I did see her dress and wow, she sure knows how to leave people talking. Was Juno all it's been cracked up to be? Did she deserve the award? Some people love it, while others hated it. What say you?

I've only seen four movies at the theater in the last year: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Borat, Ian Curtis' biopic Control, and Sweeny Todd. I'm not a completely void of pop culture. I mean, I did recently start watching Lost on DVD and am now on to season two. Netflix has remain my friend even without venturing out to the theaters.

I'll also have to check out Minnesota's own the Cohen Brothers' No Country For Old Men soon. Maybe I'll make a day of it and watch both Juno and No Country For Old Men?

Star Tribune's Weatherman is Bored

2008-02-23T18:53:00.004-06:00

I've heard many different descriptions of weather here. I've never heard, until now, it described as "hazy moonlight." How about you?

Reason #1 For Why I Dislike the Winter

2008-02-17T02:49:00.003-06:00

ICE.

I hate the ice. I just fell walking back to my car, since I'd forgotten my drink in it and didn't want it to freeze.

Here I was ready to write this happy review of my night and POW!

OW! And we're out of ice. My elbow hurts. Frozen peas it is.

Civic Engagement

2008-02-16T17:53:00.004-06:00

Today I started what will become a weekly occurrence for the rest of the semester. I'm tutoring every Saturday for two hours at the Minneapolis Central Library. I've ridden my bike past the library many, many times. I've driven past it even more, but when I need my library fix I've always stayed in the neighborhood I lived in, mostly due to the lack of public parking, and by public, I mean FREE. The northeast library has become a regular stop for me. Let's just say I was impressed. As beautiful as the library is from the outside, the inside is even more jaw-dropping. It seems sort of silly to refer to a library in those terms, but that's exactly what it is.

The employees, however, really need to communicate between departments. No one seemed to know that there was adult tutoring on the fourth floor, and I wasn't sure where to go. Once I made it to the fourth floor, after stops in the teen center tutoring hall, everything went smoothly. My supervisor Kelly was very helpful and apologetic for the lack of cohesion between departments.

I spent most of the time helping a young east African girl with basic math. I don't have much experience with east Africans. I've had a few conversations with classmates over the last year, but beyond that I'm a newbie to their culture. I've been fascinated with the large number of east Africans in the Twin Cities, just as I have been with the large Hmong population.

As the time was running out in the tutoring hall, a second young east African girl arrived needing help with her U.S History. It's amazing how complicated the battle of the Alamo and "Manifest Destiny" are when broken down into the basic elements. Words that aren't English and yet are a part of our basic English vernacular, such as San Antonio and Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, are very difficult for a ESL student. Some nouns (names and places) are also very difficult. I could feel my ethnocentric American version of history come out. True, the Alamo was a 4,000 to 200 battle that lasted much longer than expected - 13 days to be exact, but those Americans had moved into Mexican territory, staking claim to land that belonged to Mexico. Her textbook glossed over this part, leaving her to reason that it was a slaughter on the part of Mexico.

I was supposed to leave at 3:00, but I couldn't bring myself to leave before she finished the chapter. Watching her, a girl in her late teens who I'm sure has experienced her fair share of violence in her homeland, ask me to define a troop or a soldier was an interesting experience. You read about east African boys younger than her that are forced to fight in tribal wars. Are these boys soldiers? Are these boys part of a troop? The Continental Army had teens fighting against the British.

My mind wandered as she struggled with the word Houston, as in Sam Houston, and I explained that Houston was now a city in Texas that many survivors relocated to after Hurricane Katrina. I hope that by giving her a current event to connect these historic events to it would help her learn the details. I went on to explain that the American settlers were immigrants in Mexico's land that decided they no longer wanted to follow Mexican law. I could see the light bulb going off in her head. Immigrant was a word she understood. I'm looking forward to these Saturdays I'll have at library. I'm looking forward to helping our new neighbors learn about us as I learn about them.

Indie Coffee Shop.com

2008-02-14T21:34:00.003-06:00

From Erica M at Metroblogs:

IndieCoffeeShops.com is a pretty nifty Google Maps mashup. Here are all the currently listed indie coffee shops in the Twin Cities. You can filter for wifi, food, alcohol, non-smoking, outdoor seating, and "one-of-kind" (whatever that is).

This is a great site, but I've already noticed that two coffee shops I've enjoyed are missing: Uncommon Grounds and Audobon Coffee.

MN Barack Obama Results Party

2008-02-09T20:32:00.000-06:00

click on image for album
Later in the night I headed down to Trocaderos for the Barack Obama results party. I was so busy at the caucus I had no idea what was going on around the nation. For all I knew he'd done well in my precinct, but had done poorly everywhere else. We had another gathering after the New Hampshire, and most of us know how that turned out. Following New Hampshire none of our local dignitaries were present. This time, however, the night was hosted by Congressman Keith Ellison and Minneapolis mayor RT Rybak.

Drinks cost way too much, but luckily Tony, the observer from the Chicago Obama headquarters, purchased one for me. I had an interesting conversation with Congressman Ellison about Senator Amy Klobuchar and the rest of the uncommitted super delegates in Minneapolis. Mayor Rybak has more energy than an energizer bunny. I could see him getting picked on as a child.

I announced my precincts results over the microphone and, according to a few friends, was on the news while on stage with the rest of the precinct captains. I wish I'd seen it. I'm not even sure what channel it was. I'll have to see if I can find the video to post here.

Overall, it was a fun night. Watching how seriously my neighbors take civic engagement, the camaraderie of the Obama campaign. Let's just hope come September I'll have more time to contribute to the presidential campaign.

Caucus Night: Precinct 10, Ward 1 NE Minneapolis

2008-02-09T20:19:00.000-06:00

Click on the image for the album

Super Duper Tuesday

2008-02-06T12:14:00.000-06:00

I love my California brothers and sisters, but last night they really dropped the ball. Last night California had the opportunity to be at the forefront of change and instead they mostly voted to keep things the same. I assumed twenty-four years of two families running our government is everything that most Californians are against. Fear of the unknown, fear of the uncertainties that were to come with an Obama ticket kept Californians voting against the majority of the country. Minnesotans voted with the maverick and against the establishment. To be expected, I guess, with a state that voted Jesse Ventura governor. Hillary had most of the DFL establishment on her side, the state's best organizers, and yet at the grassroots level Obama had community involvement across the state.

Here, in Minnesota, the caucus system was a sight to be seen. I’ve never experienced hands on version of democracy like this. I can only harken back to my days on the student council in high school. Well crafted, while at times hilarious, resolutions were rose, which in turn were voted up and down, volunteers to be senate delegates at the state caucus while others volunteering to be school board delegates.

I love my neighborhood more now than at any other point. Watching my neighbors of ALL races; sexual orientations; young and old waiting in line; running out of ballots yet remaining calm when new ballots were made; with only one goal in mind – to participate in representing his or her neighbor.

The presidential portion went smoothly. I along with the help of our observers from in Obama campaign head quarters was able to help the convener. She in turn allowed us to hang our Obama posters. Hillary’s campaign seemed to give up on Minnesota a long time ago. Maybe her campaign saw the larger prize in the bigger states, but by ignoring much of the Midwest, she also showed where her loyalties lie.
I live in a truly unique neighborhood, and I’m more proud now than ever to call these people my neighbors.

NE Minneapolis, Precinct 10 ward 1:

Barack Obama: 136
Hillary Rodham Clinton: 62

Video From Barack Obama Rally, Minneapolis, MN

2008-02-02T22:39:00.000-06:00

Barack Obama Rally, Minneapolis, MN

2008-02-02T19:35:00.000-06:00

more images from rally behind link

Minnesotans are passionate about their politics. I think that might be as a result of having such an educated electorate. The founders intended the United States would have an active, educated electorate. Over the years, with the rising cost of education, the electorate has become more and more dumbed down. Reactionary instead of proactive, one might say. This year really feels different. This year, it feels as though, people have said enough is enough of the same ol' same ol'.

Today was dedicated to Barack Obama. I was up late last night working on homework and wasn't up and in line for the rally as early as I'd intended. This might have been a great thing. My feet are still sore. As an precinct coordinator, we were given special green tickets that put us on the floor, giving us a better view, and yet battering our poor feet. Brad and I arrived at 11:30 knowing that doors were opening at 1:30. Doors opened closer to 2:30 and by 4:30 just then was Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak introducing Jane Freeman, the widow of former Minnesota governor Orville Freeman, who at 87-years-old was awfully spry as she finally introduced Mr. Obama.

Mr. Obama's message had a different tone today, more in line with John Edwards populist message. It's only natural that Mr. Obama would hone in on the Edwards support. I could give a run down on the substance of his speech, but I'll leave that to other people.

I will say that this was the most I've ever felt part of a community in Minnesota. Minnesotans of all races, creeds, sexual orientations were all there together in support of one cause. I especially enjoyed conversing with Laura, a precinct captain, from south of St. Paul. She was a riot, in her 40s, an employee at the U, a democrat from Texas, who loves Dave Navarro and Jane's Addiction. Her energy was inspiring. She'd moved here for her fiancé and immediately became active in Minnesota politics.

I hope the energy captured in the Target Center carries over to Tuesday and the caucuses across Minnesota. The support on campus has been surprising. I've always heard, and the stats back it up, that twenty-somethings aren't active. Something about Mr. Obama changes that, at least I hope so.

Tomorrow we're making more phone calls, gathering last minute support and challenging those to come out Tuesday. The attention Mr. Obama's visit today brought should show he's not taking Minnesota lightly and that Minnesotans will see his views are most in line with theirs.

Local Obama Links
Bemidji Pioneer - Bemidji,MN,USA
Worthington Daily Globe - Worthington,MN,USA
Star Tribune - Minneapolis, MN USA
Pioneer Press - St. Paul, MN USA
Minnesota Public Radio - St. Paul, MN USA

Two Nations Under...

2008-01-31T13:50:00.000-06:00

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

The pundits like to say that Minnesota is a "purple state." We blend progressive and conservative values like few others in the nation. Yesterday President George W. Bush attended a fund raiser at the San Francisco International Airport. For those of you that don't know, SFO is not located in San Francisco -- just as the Minneapolis-St.Paul Airport is not located in either Minneapolis or St. Paul.

While SFO is a short drive from San Francisco, it might as well be a whole 'nother world for Mr. Bush. This might sound strange since most of America looks at San Francisco as a hub for the arts, culture and music, but Mr. Bush has never stepped foot in the city of San Francisco.

How is that possible, you ask?

Well, half of this country has ignored, despised, ridiculed, and shunned the other half for the last seven years, while the other half has thumbed their noses at the their "red neck" cousins who put us in this mess. Never been has it been more bluntly stated than Mr. Bush's appearance yesterday.

We are two nations that long ago forgot what it was like to walk in the shoes of the other. Never in my lifetime has it been more important to become involved politically. Disillusioned as we may be, we do have some power.

Tuesday is the caucus in Minnesota. I believe our best chance to bring back these two nations back together is to elect Senator Barack Obama president of the United States of America. I've been semi-active in his Minneapolis campaign. Not nearly as much as I'd like to be, but as much as I can be under the current situation. As a precinct captain, I will be at our precinct's caucus Tuesday evening helping our supporters bring Mr. Obama to office. You can find your caucus at the secretary of state's website. The grass roots energy in Mr. Obama's campaign is inspiring. It brings me back to AP Government and Civics class my senior year of high school.

Our generation was challenged to be active citizens and somewhere along the way we went off that track. This is our opportunity to make a difference, to create change with our bear hands. Saturday afternoon Minnesotans get the opportunity to hear Mr. Obama speak at the Target Center. Doors open at 1:30. Tickets were free, but over 20 K have been given out.The event is "sold out."

Hopefully if some of you haven't decided yet who you'll be supporting Tuesday, you'll attend the rally with an open mind and open heart, with an opportunity to become proactive citizens in mind. Never before have I been as emotionally involved with a candidate, but for anyone that knows me, they understand that morals, my word and my ideals are things that I hold dear. Mr. Obama shares those ideals, and he is our best opportunity to turn our country around and into a "purple nation."

Only in California

2008-01-29T21:05:00.000-06:00

I was not surprised when I heard Sean Young checked herself into rehab. I met Ms. Young at Lighthouse Cinema my senior year of high school. Living on the Monterey Peninsula, we were used to having celebrities at the theater. She showed up my the theater with an entourage of 20 some and wanted everyone to get in free to a sold out showing. She started yelling, screaming and then almost physically attacked the manager. Members of actors guild receive a card that allows them free entrance plus one to any movie theater in the nation. We generally didn't care about additional comps, but there just wasn't space and she wasn't hearing that. We never would have allowed 20 anyway, but so yeah, that's my crazy abusive Sean Young story and now the quack is in rehab and it's only fitting.

Altruism

2008-01-29T16:23:00.000-06:00

Moving to Minneapolis I expected to study print journalism at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota. Along with the fact Minneapolis is a major metropolitan, it was the main reason I picked University of Minnesota over Uhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifniversity of Oregon. I never expected that a semester in I'd give up my dream to be a journalist and instead concentrate on a degree in strategic planning.

Strategic planning is the technical term for public relations. I have years of similar experience running my own production company in the Bay Area. Strategic planning is a track within the journalism school, so the variation is not that far from my original path. Everyone needs PR. However, not everyone can afford to pay an individual to work only on public relations. This holds true with especially true with the direction I want to take my career.

Instead of working for "the man" I intend on working in the non-profit sector. There's no doubt my time in Minneapolis has affected this decision. I have friends who run their own non-profit, those who work for non-profits and those who volunteer at non-profits, but Minnesotans are truly the most altruistic people in the country.

The level of non-profit organization community involvement is truly amazing. The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits is an excellent hub for the organizations across the the state. This semester I'm volunteering at a local non-profit for an English literature class. We'll learn Thursday which organization we've been assigned to. My #1 choice was the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center in north Minneapolis. I've seen what the PWCC does for north Minneapolis and I"d love to be a part of that organization.

I'm looking forward to being more involved in my community. How weird is that? Minneapolis has become my community, but it has, and I'm looking forward to finally working in the time to be active and give back. I've been volunteering for the Barrack Obama campaign (more on that in another entry), but that's about being active in a much larger community. Maybe this direction is coming with age, as I mature. Maybe my eyes have finally opened up to the opportunities to give back, but I do know that observing the community around me has had a major influence on these decisions.

Creeping Along, Although Barely

2008-01-28T20:41:00.000-06:00

Rarely do you hear anything about the Hell's Angels in the press anymore. They are a relic in today's gang wars. That doesn't mean they aren't out there, as we learned today, when a federal jury handed back the keys to the Angels' clubhouse. There aren't many Minneapolis members left, as the article claims eight or nine Minneapolis members. Most have been sent to jail thanks to the governments crackdown on methamphetamines.

Growing up in California, we hear a lot about the Hell's Angels. They were active participants in the 60s counterculture, often acting as "security" for Bill Graham's legendary rock concerts. They were founded on Oakland, CA before spreading west across the nation. Because my great-uncle was an active member and I'd hear random stories from his sisters, I've been fascinated with the Hell's Angels from an early age.

Years ago I read and was disappointed with Hunter S. Thompson's Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs. It wasn't that Thompson's "new journalism" wasn't fascinating, because it was.Thompson's ego simply got in the way for me to truly delve into the underworld he experienced. I've been looking at Frost-Bite in a similar light. Frost-Bite is my attempt to write in a style not unlike Thompson or Tom Wolfe or Ted Conover.

I don't know how well I'm doing yet, but then again, I'm just starting the process and have many plans for the future. It was strange seeing Hell's Angels as the headline story on the Star Tribune's site. I hadn't thought about them since my great-uncle passed away due to complications from lead poisoning from prison tattoos. I guess the Hell's Angels are still around, although barely.

School's Back

2008-01-26T22:51:00.000-06:00

Apparently there's a new club on the U of M campus, Kinky U. Katherine Kersten wrote an interesting take on the club in today's Star Tribune. And by interesting I mean, she really has no opinion at all. It's written as an opinion piece without any real opinion behind it, which reads more like an infomercial than a piece of journalism.

School started this week and of all weeks did it really have to be this cold? The hustle and bustle of first days jitters along with the serious bite of Minnesota Winter. I lucked into rides to campus this semester, meaning no early morning waits for the bus. I am thrilled about this. I can't say it enough. THRILLED.

Yesterday in class I overheard three girls debating the upcoming Super Bowl. Only the debate wasn't over who was going to win and why, the debate was over who had the cutest butt and how one of the debaters wished Randy Moss wasn't so ugly. I've always enjoyed the fact that Minnesotan women have such a high sports IQ. I know that the appearance of the athletes isn't the #1 concern of all of these fans, but I'm sure a sigh of relief was heard across Minnesota when Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer signed to long term contracts this week.

Fighting Perceptions

2008-01-25T00:54:00.000-06:00

From Pioneer Press:
Backers of the image makeover for Minneapolis and St. Paul say stereotypes of us - often false - need to be combated with facts. Here are a few examples:

Stereotype: It's freezing.

Rebuttal: It's not that much colder than Chicago, and it doesn't have skyways. Plus, our summers are awesome.

Stereotype: There's nothing to do but go to the Mall of America.

Rebuttal: We have museums, stores and recreation, all within the core cities.

Stereotype: There's no economy up there.

Rebuttal: We've got more corporate headquarters than Chicago, and our economy traditionally outstrips the nation's.

Stereotype: You're not very sophisticated.

Rebuttal: We've got colleges and universities everywhere, we're highly educated compared with other metropolitan areas, and Men's Journal named us "smartest" on their list of "50 Best Places to Live."

In May I was camping with some friends in Oregon. I felt myself getting defensive when describing Minneapolis. For as many issues as I've had socially in Minneapolis, I really do love the city and the state. It was funny to see this rundown of rebuttals. I'll have to remember these next time I'm confronted.

Over Where? Over There, I Never Go Over There

2008-01-22T13:29:00.000-06:00

From MPR.com...
"Where are you from?"

"I'm from St. Paul," said Ron.
"How do feel about calling it Minneapolis-St. Paul from now on?"
"I'm not too much in favor of calling it Minneapolis-St. Paul. I don't like the name Minneapolis," Ron explained.
"I don't even go over there," Don said.
"Why's that?"
"Two reasons. I get lost is one reason. The second reason is I don't want to get beat up over there. So I stay home," said Don.

Funny, I've heard this debate from both sides. St. Paul natives rarely move to this side of the river and, while less rare, Minneapolis natives don't make the jump across the river either. For some reason, northeast Minneapolis has a better rep' with St. Paul natives. It's like we have some sort of street cred. We don't live in Uptown, we don't live in south, and heaven forbid we live in north Minneapolis.

But over here in northeast we have a bit of a working class, community, neighborhood. We have both dive and more upscale bars, restaurants, churches. Boy, do we have churches. Every other block seems to have a church on the corner. All of Minneapolis, with the exception of south, is very accessible.

Northeast Minneapolis is the closest thing St. Paul and the most accepted. I personally rarely go to St. Paul, though recently that's changed more. St. Paul just feels so far away and as I've said in a previous entry that when I first moved here smoking indoors was still legal. That immediate introduction to St. Paul soured me on it and just now has my life habits directed me back towards St. Paul.

Subzero Homelessness

2008-01-19T00:48:00.000-06:00

It's -10 right now, which is easily the coldest it's been since I moved to Minneapolis, and it got me thinking about homelessness. Where would I be right now if I was homeless in Minneapolis? I assume I'd find a shelter, but there are only so many shelter beds to be had. I could go away from the cities and find a shelter. I know one thing I'd never do is sleep in a dumpster - not in this weather.

I wonder why homeless people even stay in Minnesota. Years ago I remember cities would put people on buses and send them to San Francisco. Last year Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani had a series of suggestions for San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome to deal with San Francisco's homeless problem.

It's funny to hear a New Yorker try to tell a San Franciscan how to run his city, as if politics in SF is even remotely similar to NYC. The weather here keeps homelessness from being at the levels of either coast, but these arctic temperatures make any level more critical. It's scary to think about any one out there right now, but I'm sure there are thousands.

Reasons to Move to Minneapolis

2008-01-14T17:48:00.000-06:00

Tony Galarza from www.aiapvc.org/

Today, while I sat in my doctor's office, another patient asked me if my sweatshirt referenced Oakland, CA. Rarely does anyone comment on the front of the sweatshirt. Most people love the back of the sweatshirt and I get a lot of compliments.

The woman was excited when I told her it was. She was born and raised in Oakland and moved here nine years ago. She didn't ask what brought me to Minnesota, but I couldn't help but ask her. Her response was one I'd never heard before. But to be honest, I rarely ask what an individuals motivation is for the move to the Twin Cities.

She moved to Minneapolis for the air quality. She went onto say that Minneapolis has the best air quality of an urban city in the nation. I'd never heard that before. I've noticed that the air quality is better than the Bay Area. But I have only lived in two urban settings so I don't have much to compare it to.

It got me thinking, is Minneapolis really the best? According to the Earth Day Network, Minneapolis ranks 15th in the nation closely trailing Tucson, AZ, Omaha, NE, Billings, MT, and Virginia Beach, VA - all of which are tied for 11th. So we're not #1, but that 15th is still great when you look at who trails Minneapolis. Oakland is much further down the list at 41 out of 72 urban cities. At the top of the list is Sioux Falls, SD and our cross river neighbor Fargo, ND is ranked 4th.

We all have our different reasons for moving to Minneapolis, but chalk air quality up one reason to move to Minneapolis I'd never thought of.

Taking Issue With Pioneer Press

2008-01-12T14:54:00.000-06:00

I should first say that I rarely read the Saint Paul Pioneer Press. I scan the headlines for anything that catches my eye. Yesterday's Pioneer Press article, "Do redistricting right, coalition of Minnesota political all-stars tells Legislature" did just that. I'm huge opponent of gerrymandering. I'd go as far as saying that it's one of the biggest faults of our current electoral system.

For those of you that don't know, gerrymandering is the reestablishing of electoral districts in favor of gaining seats for political power. Former U.S Representative Tom Delay was one of the worst at this in the late 1990s, and this helped multiple Republicans get elected in Texas and disenfranchised thousands of African-Americans who now found themselves living in Republican dominated districts.

So as you can imagine, I was thrilled to see a bipartisan effort to design electoral districts fairly. However, further down in the article the journalist paraphrases a University of Minnesota study, "That fuels political polarization, a study by the U's center said."

While I know that the "U's center" is making reference to the "University of Minnesota's Center for the Study of Politics and Governance," mentioned earlier in the article. This is not an obvious connection for someone outside of Minnesota. For one of only two major newspapers in the state to write for an audience of a few is disheartening. Yes, Minnesota is a few when we're talking about a much larger scale of the United States political system.

The subject matter at hand is larger and more serious than just a Minnesota issue. I can see college students researching a paper and coming across and wanting to cite this article. The reporter makes no reference to the term "gerrymandering" or that this is a problem that does occur across the country. By giving the audience no context to the problem, the reporter's minimizing the issue and selling the reader short.

The Star Tribune does a much better job at covering the same story, "Reformers want politics out of political mapping." At least they provide historical context to why this is important in Minnesota and how it's affected the constituency in the past. But again, there's a term for what they are describing, there's a larger context to the issue that both reporters ignore. We should know that the "reformers," as the Star Tribune calls them, are taking an even more impressive stand in the larger context of national politics. Limiting our World view helps no one, especially the reformers at hand.

A Favor to Ask For Live Journal RSS Readers

2008-01-12T14:06:00.000-06:00

I have Live Journal readers who are actively comment on Frost-Bite. I appreciate your comments and the discourse we have, but can you please comment directly on the Blogspot entry. Follow the URL is listed at the top of the feed for access. I do not receive notification when you respond to the feed on Live Journal and the links disappear after a week and with it all of your comments. I hope you enjoy reading my entries and I'm looking forward to you following me when I move Frost-Bite over to frost-bite.us very shortly.

Again, thank you again for following Frost-Bite.

Travel Guide

2008-01-11T22:38:00.000-06:00

Lake Calhoun, mid-summer, photographed by Me.

I stumbled across an entry in a travel blog touting "Minneapolis is The Largest City in Minnesota." While the headline left something to be desired, the entry skimmed all of the bases rather than covering.

A) Location: [Minneapolis] lies on both banks of the Mississippi River, just north of the rivers confluence with the Minnesota River and adjoins Saint Paul, the states capital.

B) Roots: "Minneapolis was born when two mills were built to cut lumber and grind flour for the men of a nearby fort." It fails to mention the huge numbers of Norwegians, Scandinavian and German immigrants that made their roots here.

C) Orpheum Theatre (Although they call it the Orpheus Theater): "When you walk into the huge theatre and get a glimpse of its gilded ceiling and huge chandeliers, you will feel like you are taking a step back into the old vaudeville days of 1930."

D) Shopping: No sales tax. What it does leave out is that most of the shopping is in Bloomington at the Mall of America and not Minneapolis. Let's give some credit where credit is due. Although I hate going to the MOA.

E) Health Conscious: [Minneapolis] has the "2nd highest percentage of people who bike to work." What it leaves out is the reason it's so easy to bike to work. The bicycle lanes throughout downtown, southeast and northeast and the green ways make all sections - minus, sadly, north Minneapolis, which is like the red headed step child of the Twin Cities - easily accessible via bike.

F) Sporting Events: It glosses over this aspect of Minneapolis. Twins, Vikings, Timberwolves, Lynx and all of the Gopher sporting events are available on a nightly basis to guests. Rarely do events sell out, so any tourist can go out to the old ball yard, if they so chose.

G) Arts: Minneapolis has "peerless museums," and a "music scene that has amazed listeners for decades," but they fail to mention that there are more theater seats per capita in the Twin Cities (mostly Minneapolis) than anywhere in the country. Any night of the week you can see top notch talent perform. I've been to old and new Guthrie and hope to see more plays this year. Where is the mention of the Walker Art Center or the Minneapolis Institute of Arts?

H) Parks: [Minneapolis] has "no less than 170 parks and recreational gardens..." I'm not so sure about this fact. Ah hah, according to the Minneapolis Parks.org, there are 150 parks in Minneapolis. While the parks are great, the entry makes no mention of the lakes. How can someone write an entry about Minneapolis and leave out the chain of lakes? Lake of the Isles, Lake Harriet, and Lake Calhoun are my favorite places to bicycle in the summer. What about in the winter? Taking the family tubing at Buck Hill in Burnesville promises good times even for the grouchiest of family members.

I'm sure the entry was written from a series of brochures or one poorly written and researched brochure. I really don't understand the need for such a blog. Why start something if you're going to half-ass it? We get it, "Dallas is a City in The United States" and so is Seattle, if you believe the blog. It seems like a waste of time to me. Although it was a funny to read Minneapolis described in 400 words by someone who had never been here.

Weekly Rundown of Links

2008-01-10T01:59:00.000-06:00

Bay Area Links
SF Chronicle: 'Dykes on Bikes' trademark OKd - challenger rebuffed by high court
Appeals court allows S.F. to enforce health care law
San Jose Mercury: Editorial: California's kids deserve better
Group including Stanford, Monterey Bay Aquarium form center to protect oceans
Morgan Hill man cited for three DUIs over holidays now in jail
Oakland Tribune: Rockabilly Revival: Take a trip to the historic 23 Club in Brisbane for a night of Rockabilly fun.
Wikia Search founder: It's terrible
Contra Costa Times: Not staying abstinent

Twin Cities Links
Star Tribune: Larry Etkin: Investing in the arts is investing in our future
Minnesota has healthiest hearts in the nation
Do you live next door to a pot palace?
Pioneer Press: December DWI sweep arrests 3,354
Dakota County / Woman, 19, sentenced for sex ring
Minnesota Education / Magazine: Kids' future looks bright
From MNSpeak WCCO News 4: Man Who Had Sex With Dead Deer Gets More Jail Time

Traffic Meltdown

2008-01-09T21:07:00.000-06:00

By Bruce Bisping , Star Tribune
I've vented many times about the horrible driving in the Twin Cities. It seems that no one has the ability to merge. Merging used to add an extra 20 minutes to my commute from Uptown into Roseville. But things have gotten "better" in recent months. I've learned tricks to get from point a to point b, with as little traffic as possible.

My commute to my doctor's appointment in St Louis Park took and extra 30 minutes this morning. I couldn't see what was happening on the other side HWY 94. Normally, the drive takes 15 minutes tops. There are times when you can add an extra 20 minutes due to other commuters rubber necking a car broken down on the side of the road.

Rarely is the accident serious. Only once have I seen anything warranting my attention - a Toyota Camery upside down, with smoke billowing from the engine. Usually it's a car with a blown tire. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to sit, waiting and waiting, and for it to turn out to only be a car broken down on the side of the road.

Today, though, it was the commute home on 694 E towards downtown. Unable to merge onto 94 W, I drove to through downtown. Thank goodness the architecture downtown is so amazing or I would have been really annoyed.

Is The Barn All Its Cracked Up To Be?

2008-01-09T19:05:00.001-06:00

Because I've never experienced a basketball game at the University of Minnesota's basketball arena, "The Barn," my opinion isn't completely formed on Tubby Smith's recent comments in the NYTimes that "he wanted a new facility to replace Williams Arena, the venerable field house known as the Barn and the Gophers’ home since 1928, but was willing to wait while the university completes football and baseball stadiums" and again today in the Pioneer Press,""It's something I'm sure that everybody wants to see at some point in time," Smith said. "We know that (if) we're going to do the things we have to do, that they're going to want a bigger and better place.""

I've been reading the raucous responses and Benjamin Polk from City Pages scolding Smith for even considering a move, and yet I still haven't formed an educated opinion. I see a lot of dedicated fans holding onto the past, and at the same time refusing to look around the country. Top notch athletics programs need new arenas to recruit the best athletes and attract the most fans.

Simply being a top notch institute of higher learning isn't enough anymore. U.C Berkeley built Walter A. Haas, Jr. Pavilion in 1999 replacing the once beloved Harmon Gymnasium, showing it's possible to keep the intimacy and grow in capacity and technologically.

Tomorrow I'll contact the U's athletic department to get press passes to cover and upcoming game. With classes starting in only a two weeks from now, Gopher energy should be in high gear as Tubby Smith continues to impress everyone within shouting distance from The Barn. I look forward to seeing the turn around in U of M basketball firsthand. With the impending departure of Johan Santana from the Twins and the sad performance of the Timberwolves, Twin Cities fans can use something to root for.

Favorite Local Blogs

2008-01-08T21:18:00.000-06:00

Sharyn Morrow’s Weapons of Mass Distraction
Jodi’s I Will Dare.com
Peter Scholtes’ from the City Pages has an amazing local music orientated blog, Complicated Fun.
Ericka Bailie-Byrne’s surlygrrrl
Diablo Cody’s The Pussy Ranch
Minnesota community blog: MN Speak

Please, I’m on the lookout for more quality Minnesotan blogs.

Hook a brotha’ up.

A Late New Years Post

2008-01-07T00:10:00.000-06:00

When I moved to Minneapolis, everyone I met told me that it’ll get easier, that I should just write off my first year, but in year two I’ll find my rhythm and will love the city. I loved the city in year one, so finding love for the city in question.

The initial winter shock was debilitating.

But as I’ve said in previous entries, once you figure out the rules to the game, the winter really isn’t so bad.

They were wrong. It’s only been in my third year that I finally feel like I’m hitting my stride. I’m at two and a half years. The culture shock was fierce. I’d never expected living in another “blue state” to be so different. I knew living in the Bay Area that I lived in a bubble. I just never realized how air tight the bubble was.

Greg said to me the other day that I’d have been “just like them” had I been born here. That thought, honestly, is what kept me going two years ago. I’d flipped my car. I’d lost all of my friends. I was alone here, but I kept thinking that we are - on some level - the same. Culture shock was one thing, but it could only get better – right?

Now that I’m in year three things are better. I’ve learned – mostly – how to dodge the MN vs. CA comparison conversations. The bitterness is gone. I have some amazing people who do truly care about me.

I’ve yet to find my niche, but I’m no longer looking for it either. I’m just me. Imagine the descriptors you use to define your identity with are no longer true. That’s how I felt that first winter.

I was not a student.
I was not a reporter.
I couldn’t even bring myself to write.
I was no longer a promoter.
I was no longer a friend.
I was no longer a brother.
I was no longer a son.

It threw me into an identity crisis, and over the last two years I’ve rededicated myself to finding myself. I’m there, finally. This is me and I’m completely comfortable again with whom I am. This next year is dedicated towards exploring Minnesota with my true self in mind – and I’m looking forward to it.

Weekly Rundown of Links

2008-01-02T19:32:00.000-06:00

Bay Area Links
Oakland Tribune: UC Berkeley graduate among world's top solvers of Rubik's Cube puzzle
SFGate: S.F. Zoo's history of mismanagement; morale down under new director
The top 10 sex memes of 2007: From convictions to hoaxes, Violet Blue looks at 2007's most-clicked items
Contra Costa Times: County puts cuffs on drunk drivers

Twin Cities Links
Star Tribune: Emily Saunders finds the missing piece of her puzzle
The new face of driving drunk
DWI court succeeds by keeping keen eye on offenders
Diablo Cody 'cracked a door open and everything was Technicolor'
Pioneer Press: Readers share own tales of mouse bladders and rodent terrorism
MPR: Minnesota woman is a champion beaver skinner
'Madness in a bottle' makes a comeback
The Book Standard: Minneapolis Tops List of America's Most Literate Cities
Twin Cities Daily Planet: Top Neo-Nazi group leaves Minneapolis

Living on Minnesota Time

2008-01-02T03:10:00.000-06:00

A co-worker of mine reminded me the other day that I wasn't living on "Minnesota Time." She'd given herself an hour to get to work, when normally the commute takes 20 minutes. I just made it on time, running in the door and completely out of breath. It seems that everything depends on the weather: from the clothes I put on my body to the amount of time I allow myself to get to class, work or an appointment. I don't have it down yet. I'm often still running late. I'm getting better, but she was right. I'm not living on "Minnesota Time."

I look at the weather report first thing each morning. My entire day is then scheduled around the day's forecast. I used to check the Star Tribune's website for the weather forecast, but I've recently installed the Forecastfox addon for the Firefox Web browser, which updates regularly.

Each morning I go over a check list:

[X] What is the temperature? From the low 30s to mid-20s - it's hoodie, long sleeve shirt and gloves weather, without the need for long johns. In the teens, winter jacket is a must, and depending on the wind chill, it might be a long john day. Once the thermostat reaches 10 degrees or below, long johns, long sleeve shirt under a short sleeve shirt, gloves, winter jacket, and winter boots are all a must. In the single digits, more likely than not, I'm also wearing a hoodie under my winter jacket along with the rest of the attire.

Also, depending on the temperature, it takes longer for my car to warm up. My Honda Civic doesn't like winters. The Civic handles the winter better than the Nissan Altima I owned when I moved here. There have been times when my car won't start, but for the most part, it takes a good 15-20 minutes to warm up before it's drivable. This extra time must be worked in to travel time.

[X]Is it snowing? Again, many things vary depending on "type" of snow, how much snow has come down, have the streets been plowed, extra time is needed for the commute (either by bus or car), extra time needed to scrape the snow and again time for the car to warm up.

I'm two plus years in now and I'm finally getting better. You'd think I'd be less stubborn and adapt to the seasons. The first thing most Minnesotans ask me regarding the transition into Minnesota is how I'm handling the winters.

Really, though, the winters aren't so bad. I know. I know, they've been mild the last three years. I've heard it before. Winter just seems to last forever. Once you figure out the "Minnesota Time" it's just a matter of layers and coordinating your outfit. I've got the the layers down. Now if only I can start living on "Minnesota Time" my life would be much less stressful.

Reverse Migration

2007-12-28T13:44:00.000-06:00

Last night was just how I'd envisioned my introduction to Minneapolis to be. I'd be invited out by an old friend, the friend would tell funny stories that included our previous adventures together in the Bay Area, and I'd slowly ease in to conversations, confident of my place at the party.

My transition into Minneapolis was not as smooth. I thought I was prepared for the cultural differences. I was never prepared to start completely new, which is something I knew going in and one of the reasons I moved to the Minneapolis.

Try imagining being cool enough to be at the party, but not cool enough for anyone to actually talk to you. I was starving for attention, which only made me less attractive. Who wants to the talk to the guy who tries too hard?

I wanted to stand on my own merits, but I needed an in. Once "inside" Minnesotans will give you the shirt off their back. There are many layers of acquaintance before you prove worthy of friendship. Getting to that point takes time, lots of time, and I wasn't prepared for just how many callbacks I'd need to get the part. The audition felt never ending.

Many of these steps are skipped once someone vouches for you. Last night that happened, as easily as I'd expected it.

My buddy Greg is in town for Christmas from San Francisco. We met six years ago in the Bay Area. Greg was always one of my favorites: a lovable guy with a big heart that you never once questioned his motives. There aren't many people who listen to techno in San Francisco - techno music, not the catchall term like "electronica." Techno is the same vein as Richie Hawtin, Detroit's Underground Resistance, or Minnesotan Woody McBride.

Techno is much more popular in the Midwest. Whenever a techno artist performed in San Francisco, all of the Midwest transplants would come out for the show. Due to our shared love for the four to the floor, I have friends from Chicago, Toledo, Detroit, Madison, Minneapolis, and Kansas City. Techno vouched for me. My new friends and I had a common love. The rest of the details work themselves out.

I don't listen to electronic music as much as I used to. The music still holds a soft spot in my heart. I'll always be grateful for the relationships that formed thanks to techno. I still love dancing to it, just not as much as I used to.

Greg vouched for me last night the same way techno did for him many years ago. Many of those initial barriers were skipped ad relaxed, stress-free discourse was had. I now have New Years plans. I now have the beginning of steps of a friendship, several steps beyond acquaintance.

‘Tis the Season... Part 2

2007-12-26T12:03:00.000-06:00

We got everything done we had planned for. Sometimes there aren't enough hours in the day to complete all of my tasks, especially when Rebecca is involved.

We made due with the "groceries" we picked up at SA and Walgreens. Rebecca and I picked up another Christmas orphan, Serg, before making a delicious breakfast. I took a picture of the end result that I'll post on flickr later.

After breakfast we went to the Rosedale Mall to see Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I'm a huge Johnny Depp fan, and I love it when Depp works with Tim Burton. The "look" Burton gives his movies is unmatched in todays movie industry. Don't watch Sweeney Todd if blood makes you uncomfortable. Although, Burton's use of blood is so over the top that it's comical.

Later a group of us had dinner Triple Rock. I wish we'd been more prepared for the lack of options over Christmas. Not many restaurant remained open. Most bars remained open. That's to be expected, I guess, but despite the Walgreens employees assertion, Walgreens is not a grocery store. Triple Rock sounded like the best option to me; there's just something very Christmasy about their mashed potatoes and meat gravy. The mashed potatoes remind me of something my grandmother would make. It is my favorite thing on their menu and the best mashed potatoes I've ever eaten.

We finished up dinner, picked up the sleds in south Minneapolis and headed to 40th and Bryant Ave. South. It was obvious the hill had been run a lot by the difficulty we had walking back up the hill. The closer we got to the top the less snow there was. For every two steps forward equaled one step backwards.

A group of "natives," as they called themselves, were sledding along side us. The two guys stripped down to their boxers and boots for the final runs. Crazy. Crazy, I say. They tried to get me to join them. It's true that it was a warm 34 degrees, but I'm just not crazy enough to expose that much of myself to the weather. I knew I wasn't their intended victim when they started in on Rebecca. If Rebecca had taken her shirt off, I'm sure the boys would have ended up naked.

We finished up and headed to CC Club for a drink and to soak in some more Christmas spirit. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted guy who I thought was Josh Hartnett. I wasn't really paying attention. I'd heard stories of people seeing him out. I remember the Strib made a point of covering a Hartnett and Scarlett Johansson appearance a couple years ago. As i said the other day, unless you're a cultural icon, I'm not really impressed. We all have careers. We all have things we do for a living. Harnett's job just happens to be entertaining an audience. If it had been Prince, however, there's no doubt I would have to tell him what a fan I am.

Hartnett was fun in 40 Days and 40 Nights, but I'm more a fan of Shannyn Sossamon. I casually mentioned seeing Hartnett to Rebecca, and as she looked in his general area, it became obvious that half the bar was also staring at him. I couldn't imagine what it'd be like to have people stare at me every time I went out for a bite to eat or a drink. He was dressed like any other indie hipster kid in the bar. This was his turf just as much it was everyone else's.

Christmas was a success. Family in California received gifts. Mail arrived today from California. Rebecca and I started a some new traditions of our own. I introduced Rebecca to a Christmas tradition of my own, watching Miracle on 34th Street (1947) on Christmas Eve. I'm looking forward to my next trip out west, but over all I'm very pleased with my first white Christmas.

Homogenization

2007-12-25T14:04:00.001-06:00

I’ve often joked with people that I’ve met here that I should write a “how-to” book on moving to Minnesota. Sort of a Dummy’s Guide to the Minnesota, it’ll be mostly in jest with kernels of knowledge to be found throughout the book. Yesterday I discovered that the Twin Cities shuts down at 4 PM on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve is not a national holiday. I understand that we all want to get home to see our families on the holidays, but as far as I know, America is not a Christian nation. We are supposed to be a melting pot, where each of us can find our way through being a good person, driven by capitalist ideals.

The forced homogenization of immigrants – the Twin Cities with its large Hmong and east African population – to the American way of life only makes us look like hypocrites. Not everyone in this Christian nation is in fact a Christian. Just because someone moves here doesn’t mean they should be expected to leave his or own creeds in their home nation. What about all of the Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Pagans or Atheists that do not celebrate Christmas with us. Are they, too, expected to celebrate the American commercialized Christmas?

As for those who celebrate Christmas and yet because of life still needed to buy groceries, well, you’re out of luck unless you are willing to do your grocery shopping at Chicago-Lake Liquors, Walgreens and Super America Gas Station. Everything else in the Twin Cities was closed. Google’s 411 text service helped us search out our options.

After over three hours of searching, Rebecca and I purchased Jameson 12 Year, a bottle of Champaign and Spiced Rum from the liquor store; eggnog, two bottle coca cola, whip cream and white bread from Walgreens; frozen sausage, bananas and an energy drink from SA. The bread, whipped cream and bananas are for French toast. The alcohol, eggnog, and coke are, well, mixed drinks. I did discover last night spiced rum and eggnog were invented to be mixed.

We gave up on the idea of cooking dinner last night. We just weren’t prepared for the 4 PM curfew. Luckily Hard Times Café was open, so we eat our Christmas Eve dinner surrounded by others searching for a hot meal, fighting against forced homogeneity.

Rebecca and I have exchanged gifts this morning. Now we’re picking up a friend, making French toast, watching Sweeney Todd and going sledding. It should be an action packed day.

‘Tis the Season...

2007-12-24T16:43:00.000-06:00

Forgive me if I’m not feeling the holiday spirit. It’s not that I’m sad or depressed or angry or down in any way. It just doesn’t feel like the holiday season. This is the first Christmas in my 29 years that I will not spend it with family. As a kid my friends always mattered more to me than my family. I was ungrateful for my family offered. It wasn’t until there was physical distance between us that I grew to really appreciate what was always right there in front of me. I know that there will be more years to come to spend with family.

I’m spending Christmas Eve and day with my friend Rebecca. Neither of us have family in Minnesota. We’re going to make night of it, with a gift exchange Christmas morning, breakfast, Sweeney Todd and sledding.

While I love my family very much, I’m also a firm believer that we make our own paths in life and that we shouldn’t be held back by our love for our families. I moved half way across the country to experience something new. For all I know, I’ll end up back in the Bay Area someday. Right now, this is my time, my opportunity, to live outside of my comfort zone, where I can experience a different culture.

I’ve always respected how much family means to most Minnesotans. Last year on a date, I was cornered into the “what I don’t like about Minnesota” conversation. Usually I can bob and weave and stay away from the subject. But I realized that night that it’d easier to share what I do like rather than what I don’t.

J: I know you hate it here.
Me: I really don’t. I mean, if I hated it here, I would have left already. I won’t pretend that there aren’t things I don’t understand or like about Minnesota.
J: Right, see, I read all the time on Craigslist’s “Rant & Raves” how we’re this or that or this.
Me: Well, what makes you think that the same things don't matter to me as they do you?
J: Your family isn’t here. How could you appreciate the same things I do?
Me: How do you know that I don’t appreciate the fact your family means so much to you? I really do like that family means as much as it does
J: Oh, right, um… that wasn’t the response I expected.
Me: I told you I wasn’t like everyone else.

As many of us get together with our friends and family to celebrate the holidays, I think it’s more important to pay attention to what we have in common than what separates us. Have a glass of eggnog rum, will you, and don’t forget to tell the people in your lives that you love them.

Eyedea & Abilities Review

2007-12-24T07:39:00.000-06:00

Saint Paul’s own Eyedea & Abilities define where hip-hop is from, where it is, and where it’s going. I first heard his name after he won Scribble Jam in 1999. I first saw Eyedea open for Atmosphere at Slims, in San Francisco. But it was only recently that I fell in love with him as an MC when I watched Eyedea and Slug free style on You Tube. (Part 1 and Part 2 Both Clips Are a Must) Years of listening to First Born, The Many Faces of Oliver Hart, and E & A never did his skills justice.

A natural performer - notice I didn’t say a natural rapper, but rather a natural performer – Eyedea’s flow, presence and love for his music are visible once he steps on the stage. There are better rappers, story teller, and song structure but put a mic in front of his face and it’s impossible to miss his charisma.

Eyedea’s charisma was on full display for Eyedea & Abilities sold out performance at West Bank’s Triple Rock Social Club last Thursday night, which is impressive considering most local artists have trouble selling out on a weekend. Just like Doomtree a week earlier, E &A bring together several of the five elements of hip-hop: Abilities DJing, Eyedea rapping, and the addition guest MC “Carnage” beat-boxing. The addition of beat-boxing was once conventional, but today it’s rare to hear. All that was missing from the picture was a graffiti artist mural and a break dancing circle to complete all “five elements of hip-hop.”

There are times when Eyedea retreats to a more comfortable position, with his back to the audience, leaving Abilities turntablism at center stage. On the opposite end of the spectrum, with an almost split personality, he feeds off the Minnesota love - presenting himself raw and vulnerable to the audience.

Abilities turntable skills deserve equal attention. It’s easy for Abilities to get lost behind Eyedea. But Abilities is a two time DMC Regional championships, and his production allows Eyedea to shine. Abilities turntable interludes of harkens back to Terminator X, Mix Master Mike and much later A-Trak. It’s refreshing that unlike Public Enemy, the Beastie Boys and Kanye West, Abilities gets equal billing with his MC.

Each songs lack of transition reflects Eyedea’s experience as a battle MC. What he lacks in transitions, he more than makes up for lyrically. Whether the lyrics are autobiographical or strictly fiction is not important. Cadence and flow are on point, reminiscent of the youtube clip. E & A’s performance of “A Murder of Memories” and “Now” standout in a crowd of new and old songs.

If E & A’s performance says anything about what is to come from the duo, I’ll be sure keep my ear to the ground for the rest of my days in Minnesota.

Weekly Rundown of Links

2007-12-24T03:55:00.000-06:00

Bay Area Links
SF Chronicle: Pew survey: Half of us have looked up people we know on Internet
TOUGH ODDS FOR GAMBLING ADDICTS
SJ Mercury: San Jose taking no chances amid rumors of tainted bingo at senior centers
Freezing your icicles off? The cold's all relative
Oakland Tribune: Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums seeks probe of 'threats' to pot sites
Twin Cites Links
Star Tribune: Wisconsin school district makes home drug tests available
Woman, driving drunk, hits cop car making a DWI stop
City Pages: The Year's Best Local Albums
Peer into the Ears of Dan Wilson and Al Franken
The Rake: Let the Good Times Roll

Sent from Blackberry Pearl: Love the winter/Hate the winter

2007-12-22T11:01:00.001-06:00

Rebecca and I are going sledding on Christmas after watching Sweeney Todd. Today it's a balmy 32 degrees, with wet Lake Tahoe like snow.

The car on my left spun out and just missed hitting me this morning. He is on the side of the road. I came to a complete stop after sliding at 35 mph on the freeway - 8 minutes late to work, car in one piece and unhurt.

Two years ago I flipped my recently paid off Nissan Altima on the same stretch of 35 NW. I'll never forget climbing out of an upside down car. It was all in slow motion, just like in the movies. No one that saw the accident stopped to help, especially the trucker who ran me off the road. Several concerned citizens that saw the car upside down on the embankment did stop to help me climb from the wreckage.

At this point, I'm just happy to be in one piece.

Eyedea and Abilities @ Triple Rock 12/20/2007

2007-12-21T16:33:00.000-06:00

Click on the images for the album. Review to follow.

Only in Minneapolis.

2007-12-18T11:55:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I had an only in Minneapolis moment. While buying my brother's Christmas present at Fifth Element in Uptown, I walked past Slug from Atmosphere. I really didn't have much to say to him. I thought about getting his autograph for my brother. I know he would have appreciated, but I just can't bring myself to interrupt someone's day without a valid enough reason.

For Example, many years back I met Hulk Hogan at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Hollywood. I was a HUGE Hogan fan as a kid and I was still debating whether I should interrupt his meal. Growing up in Pacific Grove, where we border Pebble Beach and Carmel, it was not uncommon to meet celebrities. But Hulk Hogan was a little different. He was an icon of my adolescence. While playing the idea in my head of what I'd say, my dinner was interrupted by a phone call from my friend Emilia. The moment she heard Hogan was eating two tables away, Emilia demanded to speak to him. I wasn't about to interrupt his dinner so she could talk to him but what came next changed that.

Emilia: Come on, I want to talk to him.
Me: No, you caaan't talk to Hulk Hogan.
Emilia: What, are you not a man? Are you too much of a wimp to hand him the phone? Yeah, that's what I thought.
Me: Yeah, fine. You can talk to him.

Me: Mr. Hogan, I'm sorry to interrupt your dinner. But my friend Emilia is on the phone and she really wants to talk to you.
Hogan: No problem, kid. It happens all the time.

I wasn't sure here what he meant, do his meals get interrupted all the time? I'm sure this is true. Or is it that overzealous fans want to speak to him on the phone? I never asked. Hogan took my phone and talked to her for a few minutes. I'm not exactly sure what was said between them, but Hogan ended the conversation with, "Stanford Sucks! It was nice talking to you, Emilia." We tried to buy him a drink for his trouble, but he said he doesn't drink in public, which was something I could respect. Yes, all it took was a little challenge to my masculinity to push me towards the decision I wanted to make anyway. That was my only in Hollywood moment. I'm not sure I would have gotten the same experience or even a similar story from interrupting Slug's conversation, so I just continued on with my day.

By the way, yes, Hogan looked almost exactly like the photo above at the restaurant - black painted on beard and all.

Weekly Rundown of Links

2007-12-16T23:55:00.000-06:00

Bay Area Links
Oakland Tribune: Danville artist creating a sculpture monument of human rights leaders
San Francisco Chronicle: Doctoral students turning down UC due to inadequate aid packages
Porn prince wants to build kinky condos in Armory
S.F. leaders hear about Portland's approach to homelessness
San Jose Mercury: Toy guns draw real cops to San Jose Wendy's
Twin Cities Links
Star Tribune: Minnesotan Diablo Cody's 'Juno' knocked up -- and out of the park
Vita.mn: Alexis on the Sexes: Leapin' libidos!
MPR: Minneapolis officers fired on, not hurt
TC Daily Planet: Hard Times re-opens!
MN Monitor: The Biblical Roots of LGBT Oppression

Doomtree Blowout 3 Review

2007-12-16T13:26:00.000-06:00

Doomtree is by far my favorite local, with his infectious smile and hype attitude, I wouldn't pay to see any of them on their own. Not that they are all not talented, but together they can create magic. I first saw them open at Mel Gibson and the Pants record release show a couple years back. The obvious love each of them has for the other reminded me of Quannum MCs - Lyrics Born, Lateef the Truth Speaker, Gift of Gab and Joyo Velarde, though Doomtree's style is nothing like the Bay Area's hip-hop heroes - where Quannum is funk fused Doomtree is punk rock.

They all have his or her own style that together - in tandems of twos, threes and sometimes more - mesh perfectly together. Dessa's blend of soul, latin flava and spoken word is a perfect match for Cecil Otter's mix of spoken word, classic story telling MCing. Sims party rocking, big beat energy is a perfect balance for either Mike Mictlan or P.O.S. Mictlan can act as Robin to P.O.S's Batman with utter ease. It's obvious that most of them have been friends since their early teens. Rarely is Mictlan alone on the stage. More often instead he provides the obvious direction to either Sims or P.O.S spitfire delivery.

If I had one complaint, it's that Dessa should have a more active role in the group. Her energy would provide calming to the rambunctious boys the same way Joyo does with the Quannum MCs, minus the overplayed neo-soul that Quannum has been bringing these days. Friday night was no different. It was obvious that at times the boys - Mictlan, Sims and P.O.S - would get ahead of themselves. It appears that nothing could get Cecil Otter worked up into a frenzy. The balance on the stage was not always there. Banging into each other both lyrically and physically transitions and delivery was not always on spot. Dessa would bring something to rein that in.

Beyond the at times chaotic presence on the stage, every other aspect of this group brings it nightly refusing - yes, it feels like a concerted effort - to leave you unmoved. The production by the stable of Doomtree talented beat makers brings out the best in each MCs talents. It was nice to see the Doomtree producers get a moment in the sun, introducing one of the final sets, with a mash up of turntable skills and live on-the-spot drum machine driven beats. It was a perfect prologue to the oncoming MCs.

Minneapolis loves Doomtree and Doomtree loves Minneapolis. Most of the audience had memorized the lyrics - reciting them in conjunction with each MC - even for tracks from the yet to be released Cecil Otter album. Throughout the night, in unison hands would rise forming the Doomtree's winged signs It's as if the audience is a member of an exclusive club that only they, Minnesotans, are aware exists. Doomtree feeds into this with call and response phrases that are true to the Twin Cities. When P.O.S asks "Where you at?" in the track Living Slightly Larger, Mictlan responded, "Minneapolis," which brought a smile to P.O.S's face and an eruption of cheers from the audience.

The mutual affection is not taken for granted by Doomtree. P.O.S's punk roots is obvious in the makeup of the audience, a hodgepodge from of across the board, piercings, mohawks, hip-hop kids, and indie kids all across the board. Like most hip-hop Twin Cities shows, the crowd is mostly white kids from the suburbs. Only this eclectic mix of characters on the stage bring his or her own element to the audience attracting an only in Minnesota vibe.

No Dance Band. Yes Hard Times Cafe.

2007-12-16T04:29:00.000-06:00

Tonight I had every intention in meeting up with Maren and Kos at the Varsity Theater for Dance Band and Mel Gibson and the Pants. Of the two bands, MGP is one of my favorite local bands only trailing Doomtree, but something has to be said for the way Dance Band makes hipsters move.

No one in the Twin Cities moves a dance floor the way Dance Band does. All inhibitions are lost and regardless of the venue, Turf Club, Hexagon or the Triple Rock, dance floors hop in rhythm, everyone knows all of the words and are unafraid to sing them back at frontman Captain Octagon. Each band member dates on an split personality from another planet, with costume to match. It's a site to be seen and experienced.

Unfortunately, thanks to a late night at First Ave. for Doomtree and a long day at work, I fell asleep for a power nap and missed the show. I arrive just in time to catch Maren as she was leaving for the grand reopening of Hard Times Cafe. I was glad to see word got out and Hard Times fans came out in droves. The line was out the door when we arrived at just after 1 AM. It didn't take long for me to break out my camera to capture the moments.

It was obvious just how much everyone missed Hard Times, as it was still standing room only an hour after we arrived. The quesdadilla was just as I remembered it and the salsa was perfect. The delay in being served was to be expected with the number of patrons. It felt like a family reunion. People were hugging. The chatter was deafening at times. Smiles could be seen at any turn and laughs could be heard from across the room.

I'm sure that the crowds won't remain this big for too long. I'm looking forward to quiet nights - I say this in jest, because there's never a completely quiet night at Hard Times - with a chai and vegan muffin in hand as I study for an impending test. Until then, the eclectic crowds alone can keep me entertained late into the night just as they did tonight.

Video From Hard Times Cafe Reopening

2007-12-16T04:25:00.000-06:00

Doomtree Blowout 3 - First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN

2007-12-15T02:48:00.000-06:00

Full Set Here Behind Link
Real entry entry, review to follow tomorrow.

Hard Times Cafe: Always Open and Open to All

2007-12-13T23:52:00.000-06:00

I'll never forget the first time I stumbled into the Hard Times Cafe, half awake, unsure exactly what I'd walked into. The mix of people reminded me of the first time I walked down Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley -- as a closed-minded 17-year-old. I grew up like many of you in small town. Only my small town was located 2.5 hours south of San Francisco in Pacific Grove nestled between Monterey, Pebble Beach and Carmel. Pacific Grove is still today referred to as the "Last Hometown." I had no idea what to make of Telegraph. I'd yet to learn anything about the famous protests of the 1960s on "Telegraph Hill" leading up to and through the UC Berkeley Campus. The mix of malnourished gutter-punks with their malnourished dogs to match, college students and tourists caused for a collision of many world, my small world being the least of it.

I'd never witnessed anything like it before. Half afraid, half shocked and completely closed off. I never gave it a chance. There was no way I could have ever imagined I'd make Telegraph Ave. my home three years later. My mind and heart were not yet open to what I was seeing. Later it became one of my favorite places to buy records, pick up a slice of pizza at Fat Slice and shop for quirky Christmas presents. Berkley became a home away from the "Last Hometown", more comfortable within my East Bay surroundings than I ever was in Pacific Grove.

Hard Times Cafe reminded me of that feeling: Comfort amongst the freaks, everyone minding his or her business, and certainty that no one was judging you. Whether it was late at night after a few drinks, on a long break between classes or for a quick chai and muffin before heading out on the night, Hard Times was always open to anyone and everyone who was open minded enough to experience it. The 6 AM to 4 AM - 22 hours per day - afforded even the worst insomniacs amongst us a spot to be at peace. The restrooms were never been the cleanest. The random graffiti was never the most artistic. The patrons were always the most eclectic. And the menu is the most health conscious (mostly vegan and vegetarian) junk food available in the Twin Cities.

Hard Times has been closed since the beginning of August as they fought with the city over health codes violations and permitting. What all of the regulars are doing to fill his or her fix is anyone's guess. But I learned today that Hard Times is reopening this Saturday at midnight. I'm unsure whether that means the doors open at Friday night/Saturday morning at 12:00 midnight or if that means that the doors open at 12:00 midnight Saturday night/Sunday morning. Regardless of the details, which you can stay posted to on their MySpace page, I know that I'll be making a stop by sometime this Sunday for a quesadilla, and I look forward to re-introducing Hard Times back into my normal stomping grounds, just as I did with Telegraph Ave. many years ago.

Hockey in Your Blood. Hockey in Your Soul.

2007-12-12T02:00:00.000-06:00

California is hardly known for its ice rinks, so as a child, I followed the best team in the world - Wayne Gretzky's Edmonton Oilers. With Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey and Grant Fuhr, the Oilers were the greatest show on ice. At the time, it wasn't uncommon to watch Sunday afternoon hockey on ABC. This was before the days cable television took over the airwaves and well before the days of the San Jose Sharks. Before the Sharks came along, Gretzky moved on, leaving Canada, for Hollywood with his beautiful blond wife.

They were a couple made for California -- well before David and Victoria Beckham took over the tabloids earlier this year. I was never a die hard hockey fan. Any Californian prior to Gretzky's trek west to the Los Angeles Kings that told you they were was a) either lying or b) not a native Californian. Gretzky made Californians leave the hockey highlights on while watching Sports Center, but not much else. It didn't change anything within the culture. I've always been a believer that unless you come from a state with real winters you cannot be a true hockey fan.

This opinion has only strengthened since I moved here. While the North Stars left for warmer clients, hockey never left the blood of Minnesotans. I love seeing both hipsters and aging, graying sports fans in retro Minnesota North Stars jackets. Even at the lowest level of fandom - fashion -the North Stars are still in the hearts of many Minnesotans. I should make it clear. I'm talking about the North Stars and not the bastardized version now playing in Dallas. If the Sharks ever left San Jose for another city, I know that the same love would not still be there for the team. There would not be retro Sharks jerseys worn by hipsters on Haight Street. You'll never hear a San Francisco Giants fan debate the merits of the Cow Palace and HP Pavilion (the Sharks former and current arenas) with a panhandler as I did last year at a Twins vs. A's game. I pretended to stare off searching for my friend, but instead I was amazed the common denominator that can be met between Minnesotans of all socio-economic backgrounds.

Tonight the Sharks thrashed the Wild 4-1 - finally looking like the team the pundits and the fans expected the Sharks to be. The Wild play the most boring style of hockey imaginable. Only in Minnesota would fans permit such a boring style, substance over style. The most entertaining part of the match was not Steve Bernier two goals, but the stark difference in the way the two teams local newspapers covered the match.

The San Jose Mercury's upbeat, anything is better than yesterday, we're on a roll theme balanced against the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune's doomsday, we're never going to win again, this is the end if things don't change theme was hilarious.

Give them a read... SJ Mercury and the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune.

I'm not the biggest hockey fan. Then again I did grow up a 49er fan with Jerry Rice as my hero, so who can fault me for being a California boy at heart?

Smoking Ban Does Its Job

2007-12-11T00:35:00.000-06:00

My daily readings include several newspapers. To be honest I enjoy the free indie publications more than Star Tribune or the Pioneer Press. I'm usually frustrated more often than not when I finish the Strib. I was happy to hear the state-wide smoking ban that went into effect that more Minnesotans were trying to quit. I grew up in a household where both of my parents smoked. It wasn't until my late teens that my mother quit. Growing up in that environment can lead to two things: an early start on smoking or being repulsed by the smell of cigarettes.

My clothes reeked of cigarettes and I've never once smoked one. Just thinking about it now is frustrating. I always joke that no one smokes in California. That's far from true. But California's laws sure do make it difficult on smokers. They have for years and because of that along with other factors, it feels like most Californians do not smoke. I didn't make it out of Minneapolis for three months, right in the heart of the winter. I didn't venture far, only across the river to St. Paul, but it felt like I walked into an episode of the Twilight Zone. Where in Minneapolis my lungs were clear of tobacco, in St. Paul I couldn't breathe. The yellow tobacco grime covered the walls. My winter clothes, after only a few hours, needed to be washed. Asthma of years gone by showed signs again. I was miserable and told myself I'd never go back. Weeks later on a trip up to Moorhead/Fargo, I came across that same experience. It was a struggle for me to keep my breath, the constant threat of hyperventilation was present. I just couldn't "get it." The health of everyone was being directly challenged by the few. Since that weekend I've been lucky enough to stay out of too many smoking environments.

The laws have since changed and I'm thrilled to hear along with that the culture is changing. I've since been back to St. Paul, one the law changed last year, but now that I know the rest of the state has opened its mind to the smoking ban, I can safely open my lungs to many more cities.

Out and About With Johnny

2007-12-10T01:41:00.000-06:00

Yesterday my favorite reader spotted me out on the town. I wish she would have said, Hello. I really am approachable. Don't be scared. I don't bite. I don't even have much of the a bark. Johnny, Maren and I made a quick stop at Spyhouse, on Nicolett, for chai before hitting up The Minneapolis Institute of Arts. We'd all spent too much money since Johnny arrived Wednesday night, so we decided against paying for the Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit.

The Minneapolis Public Library offers free passes to most of the local museums and select other attractions. On Thursday, I had picked up free passes from for the Frida Kahlo exhibit at The Walker. In the last several months, I've seen Picasso and Frida for free thanks to the public library system and The Walker. Finding fun, free-to-low cost outings in the Twin Cities has been a lot of fun. The Minneapolis art scene has been one of my favorite things about the city, also with the Art-a-whirl in my neighborhood just after I moved to Northdeast.

Frida challenged so many stereotypes, at the same type demonstrating her vulnerabilities and narcissistic tendencies for the World to see. I identify with straddling this line. The decision to start writing here came down to me recognizing that yes, my voice does matter. All of of have a voice and it's our duty to express it hoping that others will find truth within our experiences. Truth is not constant. Truth is the perception of one or of the masses and my truth might be yours. Hopefully someone can find truth within these words.

Frida's truth was never better demonstrated than the series of black and white photos. Seeing a 16-year-old Friday wearing her father's best suit. hair slicked back, confident in her appearance and in control of her sexuality was inspiring. We all should aspire to reach that level of confidence of our place in the World.

We headed to the Bad Waitress, another favorite of mine, before going sledding at Buck Hill, in Burnsville. The farther I get away from the Twin Cities the more open the people I meet are to strike up a random conversation. The kid working the tubing area had many questions about California. He quizzed Johnny on Lake Tahoe and me on the professional sports teams I follow. For the record, I've never been an Oakland Raiders fan. I blame Al Davis for many of the problems my Oakland Athletics have had over the years. I grew up a 49er fan, which I'll still proudly claim, despite the 49ers poor performance today again the Vikings.

The tubing attendee never once asked me why I moved here. It was refreshing. We had an honest conversation without ever making the other feel like a foreigner. I miss those random conversations. We concentrated on what we had in common and not what our differences were, while at the same time recognizing that differences do exist.

Extreme Tubing

2007-12-09T22:37:00.000-06:00

Exploring Minneapolis

2007-12-08T22:28:00.001-06:00

Johnny is still in town from San Francisco. Thursday night we had late night drinks at the CC Club. I think he enjoyed watching and comparing his hipster to our hipsters - the assortment of cold weather accessories and selections on the jukebox. Late night drinks led directly to late night snow angels. We had brunch at Sunnyside Up Cafe in Uptown, favorite of mine, for its mix of neighborhoodies, hipsters, families. It's rare that you see everyone in one restaurant. That's also the reason I love the Hexagon Bar, off Hiawatha, so much.

I took him around Lake Calhoun and Harriet yesterday. His Converse Chuck Taylor's were probably not the best winter shoe selection. The more we walked around the less feeling he had in his toes.

Johnny quote of the day: "Everything is so pretty. I could live in this. I just need to figure the shoe thing out."

Today I pawned him off on my best friend here and my roommates, while I worked. He spent an hour in the MIA, which was far from enough for him. Tomorrow will be a full day: tubing at Buck Hill, Frida exhibit at the Walker, a quick jaunt through the sculpture garden, the back to the MIA, a tour of the skyway before a movie at Block E.

Filling a Niche

2007-12-08T21:15:00.000-06:00

As a follow up to the previous entry, most Minnesotans have all of the friends they need by the time they reach my age. Friendships here were first made in high school, college or their first jobs out of school. All of which are times when you are searching for your niche in life. I met most of my longstanding friends during that same period of my life. Well - not during college, because I didn't go to school until I was well into my mid-twenties, nor have I held onto many of my friendships from high school. Only recently, thanks to MySpace, Friendster and more recently FaceBook, have I reconnected with friends from high school and below. The idea that people are into their 20s and 30s and are still close to the people they had detention with for throwing that spitball in the 10th grade is foreign to me.

Lost amongst the thousands of classmates at any of the local universities, students are eager to belong. Movies such as John Singleton's Higher Learning captured this perfectly. As a 29-year-old undergraduate student, most of my classmates are up to a decade younger than me. Reaching out to someone who has few of the same memories, pop culture references or experiences as me have proved to be fruitless.

Meeting people off strictly platonic on Craigslist has had its positive and negatives. Two of my good friends here were made on there. But I've also had even more come in and out of life in the last two years. I've posted three times now, always looking for men or women, but the responses have surprised me. Although it clearly states “Strictly Platonic,” more often that is a veiled method of searching for a date without being as forward as the M4W or W4M posts.

When the responders aren't looking to partner up, they are looking to fill a niche. As I said, most people my age have their friends, unless you fill a void that he or she's current group of friends aren't. Here's one example: I met a girl through Craigslist. We didn't have much in common, but we did enjoy each others company. But the company only had two venues that were applicable. One, we'd get coffee. Well, I'd get chai because I don't drink coffee. And two, we'd watch a movie. Usually we'd watch the movie at my place. A few times we did watch it at the theater. Each time I'd try to change our pattern I'd be rebuked. She was comfortable watching movies and getting coffee, but everything else felt off the table. Through her I was introduced to another girl. We've never hung out, but since she has seen me at First Avenue several times, I've fallen into the niche of a fellow concert attendee. We've talked about hanging out a few times, always about future shows.

A couple weeks back, my friend Kathy expressed frustration with being delegated to a niche. I remained quiet listening to her vent. Her feelings were so raw. She was so frustrated. I’d felt these feelings myself. I’d expressed these same words. That moment you realize that a friendship can only go so far, that you filled a need for them, but you were not getting any closer, that moment stings like few others. Investing energy into something or someone only to realize it was all for not. I can decide whether the niche is rewarding enough, or whether I need to move on. I’ve been in both positions. I still don’t know which one is better.

Friendships and more

2007-12-08T13:35:00.001-06:00

I've always had female friends. At that, I've always had more female friends than male friends, at a 60/40 clip. But never before have my female to male ratio been so askew. I have 6 friends here in Minneapolis. Five females and one male. The male friendship is something recent. It's never been so difficult to click with people of the same sex before. And a conversation I had today with Mike confirmed why.

Last night my friend Rebecca's band played at the Dinkytowner. I've never been the biggest fan of their music, but she's a good friend and I've seen them perform many times now. There was no way I was going to miss the CD release party.

Mike asked how last night went. I explained that it was nice seeing Rebecca, even though I'm not a fan of her band's music. He queried me on who Rebecca was, though he's met her recently, and when I explained that she was a friend, his response captured the answer to my male-male friendship struggle, "oh, your new crush."

Nope, Rebecca has never been a crush. I explained I could be friends with woman without wanting to date her. My struggle creating friendships comes down to the Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal's conversation in When Harry Met Sally. Crystal's character explained that men and woman can never be just friends. That sex will always get in the way. I just don't buy it. I know from my experiences here, though, that that train of thought is prevalent in my age bracket. I can't pretend that all Minnesotans think this way. I just don't know if that's the case. To say all of anything or even most wouldn't be accurate without more research.

But I do know that through my experiences here - on more than one occasion - men have assumed I was interested in dating them if I showed interest in building a friendship. I also know that - on even more occasions - women have also be believed I wanted to date them under the same situation. I've had to explain to both sexes that I have no interest in dating them. I'm not gay. I just don't know anyone here. And I'm capable of being friends with a female without sex getting in the way. And on two occasions, women have believed that I was gay because I didn't make a move on them when the opportunity arose. The cultural transition to Minneapolis has been more difficult than any adjustments my body has made to the weather.

I guess I could have told Mike that, "sure, Rebecca's a crush, but not in the way you think it." I crush on people - men or women - that I meet and think are amazing. They are platonic crushes, with no sexual desire behind them. Sometimes I meet someone and I think, "Wow, this person is great. We view things very similarly." I'll want to get to know them better. But this desire to learn about my new friend can be misinterpreted as non-platonic interest. This never happened in California. My feelings were never misconstrued. Someone showing interest in you as a person was flattering, but not a sign that they wanted to sleep with you.

Can men and women be just friends? From my over all experiences, yes, without a doubt. From my experiences in Minneapolis, yes, it's definitely possible but it takes more communication to lie out the ground rules of the relations.

The same can hold true for friendships between men. Making your intentions clear heads off much of the confusion that can cloud things later.

mel gibson and the pants @ nomad world pub

2007-12-07T11:29:00.000-06:00

What Brought Me Here...

2007-12-06T23:26:00.000-06:00

Ouch: Punched in the Chest - Yet Again.

2007-12-06T23:18:00.000-06:00

Last night my best friend Johnny arrived from San Francisco. I did my best to prepare him for the cold he'd experience when he first stepped out of the airport. He watched yesterdays video blog and for the most part was ready - or so he thought. Driving through downtown Minneapolis was chaos. Streets seemed to be closed at every turn for snow plowing, which only delayed my picking him up.

Still 15 minutes away, Johnny calls to say he's arrived and that he feels as though he's been "punched in the chest." He goes onto ramble about this being the coldest thing he's ever experienced, will alcohol absorb differently, can we stop for long johns, if he lived here he'd drink constantly to stay warm.

I couldn't help but laugh. My friend in the car stared at me while I comforted Johnny. After pulling over at the gate and popping my trunk for Johnny's bags, with ice sealing covering my trunk, he struggled mightily, the winter sting spreading across all exposed skin, before finally getting his bags in the trunk and his body in the warm car. It reminded me of my first Minnesota winter experience three years ago. I'll never forget the burn in the pit my chest when I stepped off the plane, in awe of everything around me. In the Bay Area we had basically one season year round. Of course, there are slight variations with increased temperatures in the summer and more rain in the winter. But overall, the Bay Area does not have real seasons as we know them here. I've learned to enjoy the seasons here the longer I've been here. This past summer felt less humid and last winter felt less cold. The weather is easily manageable. It just takes a few more or few less layers.

Johnny had the basic top layers covered, but his hands were still exposed, and Johnny's lungs burned with the temperature flirting with below 0. After brief introductions between Kathy and Johnny, his first words in the car were, "I need some long johns." This afternoon was spent searching for long johns at Costco. before finding them at the Twin Cities own Target. We should have gone to target first, but Johnny's second comments also motivated the trip to Costco. "If I lived here, I'd drink whiskey all the time. Do people here drink a lot?"

Whiskey now in hand, new thick socks providing one more layer his pair of classic Converse tennis shoes and long johns protecting his lower regions, Johnny is venturing out tonight again with me for Mel Gibson & The Pants, a Twin Cities favorite of mine, at Nomad World Pub, which Rob van Alstyne previews here.

Show and Tell: Winter Clothes

2007-12-05T13:08:00.000-06:00

Never Again

2007-12-05T10:47:00.000-06:00

Yesterday while on campus for a doctors appointment I got my free Influenza shot. Flu shots are new to me. Last year was the first time I'd ever received one. I don't know if they were just less prevalent in the Bay Area. I don't ever remember being offered a free flu shot. I also don't remember shots at Target in California. Maybe they were there, and I was just oblivious to them. Two winters ago I did not receive a shot, and about half through the winter the worst flu I've ever experienced hit me. I was out for a week, mostly unconscious, when not projectile vomiting. I wasn't going to repeat that same mistake and have been quick to get my shots.

Yesterday I was suffering all day of the post-shot flu, cloudy head, but by bed time I was feeling much better. Today I learn that the reason the flu is so common in Minnesota is because it's so damn cold. The NYTimes states:

“Influenza virus is more likely to be transmitted during winter on the way to the subway than in a warm room,” said Peter Palese, a flu researcher who is professor and chairman of the microbiology department at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and the lead author of the flu study.

We don't have the subway here, and the light rail is nowhere near as warm as the subway, but we do know cold. Although yesterdays grogginess was a discomfort, I'm a big fan of flu shots for all.

Introduction and Al Franken in NYTimes.

2007-12-05T07:05:00.000-06:00

Frost-Bite is a long time coming. I've been in Minneapolis for sometime now, and my keen observation skills are best served with a forum to explore them in. Frost-Bite will allow me an opportunity to share what exactly it is I see around me: my frustrations and my appreciation of MN culture. I carry my BlackBerry Pearl everywhere I go, and with it I'm a equipped with a perfect camera phone to chronicle the World around me.

In Frost-Bite you'll find photos taken with Pearl - who has taken on an identity of herself, and at times, I'll probably refer to her as such - and a PowerShot a95. Frost-bite will also include video-blogs and short videos that should candidly capture some highlights. I plan on profiling and featuring some of my current favorite and newly discovered jewels of the Midwest. My writings won't be strictly limited to, but will emphasize Twin Cities culture. I know I spend far too much time in the Cities and not enough time exploring what else is offered out in Minnesota and the Midwest.

Frost-Bite will also include concert and music reviews of local artists and visiting musicians to the Twin Cities. Minnesotans love all aspects of the arts. My biggest joy in the Twin Cities is the fine art scene: newly released independent films or re-released classics, all genres of music performed, and theater. Although I do enjoy visual arts and museums, I'm not very educated in the subject. Basically, I know what I do and don't like.

People are really my thing, so a lot of my commentary will be made regarding interpersonal and larger social interactions. Some will be vents. Please don't take offense to these. Most will be thought out political and sociological commentary on my experience and observations. I may juxtapose article from afar and the many quality local publications.

Now that we know a little more about what to expect, I hope what I enjoy what I have to say, at the very least it will make you think, and what better way to start than my thoughts on the NYTimes article on Al Franken's candidacy for the Norm Coleman's United States Senate seat.

Al Franken's candidacy has been intriguing to me since he first announced last February. Beyond his obvious progressive-bent politics, I just don't know what he stands for, and I'm not sure most Minnesotans do, either and that is why he's spent so much time introducing himself to Minnesota this year. Franken is still viewed as a Minnesotan, more brash than most, but he is still one of their own. I know from experience this means a lot to people here. Just bring up the Coen Brothers, Bob Dylan or F. Scott Fitzgerald and you can't help but be inundated with the résumé of the local hero. Never mind that both Fitzgerald and Dylan hit the road and rarely looked back.

Norm Coleman will never seem to be viewed as a Minnesotan by the masses, but his formally centrist leading Republican politics plays well with the middle of the road state political spectrum. Now that Coleman's politics have become synonymous with George Bush's failed politics he is more than ever vulnerable to more left leaning politicians. If Franken is able to connect with Minnesotans as a true down home Minnesotan and not a Hollywood Big Shot, I think he has a great chance. His brashness is a bit extreme and outside the norms here, but his passion for helping the common man finds a home in the hearts of most everyone I've met in Minnesota. As I said, I'm still not sure what I think about what the details of how he is going to help the common man, but I look forward to learning more in the coming months. I do know I enjoyed Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot. I'm keeping an eye on the other candidates and will be sure to have later entries exploring them.

Welcome!