‘Tis the Season... Part 2

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

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...

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.

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

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.