Susan's visit

Susan came to visit the last weekend in January. We had oodles of fun. Her flight was a little late in arriving, so we went right to breakfast at Hell's Kitchen. Wow - Delicious and unusual food. Susan said they had great coffee. I enjoyed a kick ass Bloody Mary. We made an attempt to see the Winter Carnival King Boreas parade, but were stymied by the latest of the hour. We did get to glimpse it through the streets, though.

We spent the afternoon with my friend Ethan and his dog, Riley, at the Art Shanty project on Medicine Lake. Art Shanties take the idea if ice shanties (used when ice fishing) and reinterpret them. There were installations like the huge glass jellyfish and performances. There was a shanty were you could get hot beverages for the price of a story. There was a science shanty, where we saw zooplankton. Just really cool. Only wish I'd worn the right shoes.

Dinner that night was at 112 Cafe. It reminds me of some of the best places I used to eat in Philly. We split a bunch of dishes and a bottle of wine and the whole bill (w/tip) only came to $80 odd. Susan was amazed at the price considering the quality of the dinner.

After dinner, we went to the 400 Bar, where Bob Dylan got his start. We met up with my friend Tilly and chatted for a while. The Hopefuls (formally the Olympic Hopefuls, until they performed for the OC and then got a cease and desist letter from the IOC) were playing that night. We caught the end of the set.

Sunday, Susan decided to join me at the UU church I've been attending. My choir was not singing, so that was just really nice of her. Then we joined my friend Ellen and her husband for brunch at a cute little place near me.

The big event this day was SNOW TUBING! Oh my god...this was so much fun. We drove to a local place (about 30 min away) that has skiing, boarding and tubing. The tubing was dead cheap and came with the tube and a lift ticket for the conveyor belt lift. It was everything great about sledding, without having to climb the hill. Susan did all the dangerous stunts, I was content with just whizzing down the hill. By the end, Susan had figured out how to "tube dance" with me. She could spin us and everything. Now I'm trying to get my work friends to go.

We were pretty much exhausted after the tubing, so we had a quiet dinner at a place near me. Susan got the very last beef tenderloin and it was so good it blew my pumpkin gnocci out of the water.

Monday was our last day. We spent some quiet time chatting at home. Then I got to show off some of the stuff I'd been working on. There was an open house at the warehouse to show off the (90' long) model canal we built for the National Canal Museum and some other of their interactives. Then we headed to the museum to poke around. I showed her where my new exhibit will go and we got a sneak peek at Strange Matter and Science on a Sphere. Before taking her back to the airport, we walked through Rice Park and checked out the remains of the ice sculptures (warm weather pretty much killed them on the same day they went up.)

Too much to do to fit it all in, but we had a blast nonetheless.

Oh, what a beautiful morning...

This was a morning to remind you why it is good to be alive. The air was crisp, clean and tasted of snow. The sun shining brightly from the blue sky warmed my face. Tiny snowflakes were falling, star shape distinct as they dusted the arm of my coat. Exquisite.

Plus - when I got to work, the toys I bought for a couple of guys on the Managing Light team went over like gangbusters. The Light Up Glow worms are gummi worms that glow when you grip them with the special pincers. Cost: $1. Officewide merriment: priceless. (sorry - had to borrow from the ad).

Warm hearts

This January was the warmest in Minnesota since 1846. It's back in the 20's again and we got two inches of snow last night. You could practically hear the sigh of relief from the natives.

Shoot

Hunts over. Some high school students found it after six clues. We had the park right, though, and how the medallion would be hidden. Close, but no prize.

The Hunt is on

The Medallion Hunt* started on Saturday. Should have been Sunday, but they released the clue early. I haven't been out to dig yet, but I've been doing a lot of noodling. Second clue identified in what the medallion is hidden. A Pearson's Nut Goodie wrapper (local candy maker, very tasty!). See...

Son of Pear, hometown fare,
The nut of this year’s quest.
Sweetest patty, never a baddie,
Covers the prize at rest.

*Medallion Hunt is sponsored by the Pioneer Press. The medallion is hidden somewhere on public land in Ramsey Co. A new clue to it's location is released every day. For some, it's a local obsession.

De-decked

Sad, but true. This weekend I repacked my holiday decorations (except the mini-tree which will go back up for Susan's arrival). The tree was especially crispy, so removing the lights was both easy and messy. Made the whole place smell good. It took me a while to clean up most of the needles (never say all, they hide). Now everything is in boxes waiting to go back downstairs. Usually the apartment feels empty when Christmas is gone, but this year it doesn't. Could be because I'm still planning things to do with it. Just have to wait until I can afford it.

Susan's trip is all planned out. We've got reservations where needed, lots of Winter Carnival things to see and do, and plenty of downtime to just hang out. Weather permitting, we are going snow tubing! Like sledding, but on a real hill (which is good because I have neither sled nor hill). Looks like it will be lots of fun.

Thus far I'm dragging on my New Year's resolutions, but kicking tail on my To Do list.

Making a list, checking it twice

I love making a list and then crossing things off. I got lots of home stuff done this weekend and then made big lists of other things I want to get done. I'm still hanging on to Christmas by my fingernails. It's not done until Susan comes to visit at the end of the month. The Tree is not going to last that long, though. It's dead. It stopped taking in new water a week ago. Now I tiptoe past it as to not loosen any needles. I still have a few friends I want to invite over to admire it, but if they don't see it by this weekend, they may have to just admire the photos.

New Year

New Years was wonderful. I don't think I've ever been through that many states on New Year's day before. Unfortunately, I've come back with a cold. Mild but annoying. So I've taken it easy the last few days (which the cat loves). I cleaned house and am working on a grocery list. Mostly I sit on the couch and admire my Christmas tree.

Holiday fun

I'm in a tizzy of holiday preparations. Friday, I used the car share to finish up my Christmas shopping. Saturday was full of rehearsals followed by the Holiday Choir Concert. We sounded beautiful. There was also much baking for the dessert potluck that followed. I did find time on Saturday to get my Christmas tree. My friend Ellen agreed to help me transport and install it. I've got the lights on now (and I though of Dennis and Susan the whole time I was decking the tree all by myself). My apartment smells so good.

Sunday was all about the baking. I went to my friend, Sara's, house and we baked several different kinds of cookies. Much fun.

The rest of this week is filled with Solstice fun. I volunteered to help with the Solstice service on Wednesday. So I need to pack and get ready to leave for Christmas in the slivers of time that are left.

A whirlwind, but a happy holiday-joy-filled one.

Christmas spirit

It's good to be in St. Paul and away from all that crazy winter weather on the East Coast. Boston got 9 inches of snow? This is shaping up to be like last year when I had a much milder winter than everyone else.

I'm fully in the Christmas spirit. Decorations are everywhere (except my apartment - I'll get them up tonight, I hope). Need a second person to help with the tree, though. I've been catching the Christmas specials on TV. Family channel helps greatly since they've been showing pretty much non-stop Christmast stuff since the 1st. I hum carols under my breath when I walk. I've got about half of my shopping done. As a kid, you are all about the receiving, but as an adult, I think I may like giving more. I love picking out a really great gift for someone and imagining their reaction when they see it.

Potluck

Yesterday was a staff potluck (not all staff, just exhibits related folks, including design, development, the shop, etc.) Some tasty food and some scary stuff. I'm still not used to game meats showing up so casually. Boy these folks can cook them, though. This was my first real life encounter with the midwest "salad" which includes jello and whipped cream/cream cheese and many things that are counter-intuitive to a sweet salad. There were at least three of these. One was orange and had mandarin orange slices (sweet, like dessert, but not bad). One was white and I think had coconut. It was topped with pretzel bits. The last was green and was topped with sliced green olives with pimento. I chose to avoid that one. These dishes were in the minority, though. There were lots of veggies present. Big emphasis on the spicy, too. Also lots of wild rice, which is a signature MN ingredient. Someone made a dish I wish I had gotten more of. It had potatoes and corn and was subtly flavored with chilies. Delicious. I made my signature brownies (of course). I'm actually getting tired of making brownies, but it was cold and I had the fixings at home. I made a double batch and someone kindly cut my squares in half so there were tons of brownies, but when I went back to check later, they were all gone. Guess they were popular.

snow falling on ... not cedars

Just a quick post, since I'm still on company time. Just wanted to share how nice it is to be sitting at my computer, watching the snow fall outside my window. Big fat flakes and just enough wind to make them dance. Lovely.

SNOW!

First snow of the year. After a couple of days of rain, it was lovely to wake up and see snow. Not enough, though. Want more.

Been a busy week. Went out for drinks with some of the crew last Friday. Went out for sushi today with Ethan. Man, that canyon effect wind tunnel will kill you. Good sushi, though and always good conversation.

I'm working on a new project with a group at the Unitarian church. More later as it develops.

Choir continues to be great. Two weeks ago we sang this super fast song in Batak (I think) where half of the verses were nonsense syllables and the other half made sense, but in a language I did not understand. Then this week we sang "Deep Peace" which is beautiful and low, sonorous and smooth. By the end you felt utterly peaceful and happy. So much fun.

Catching up IV...Halloween

I had this brilliant idea for Halloween. I really love to dress up and give out candy, but you don't get trick or treaters in an apartment. Susan and I solved this in Philly by sitting outside on our stoop and handing out candy, but that was not feasible in my current apartment. While pondering solutions, my friend Tilly commented that her dog always freaked out on Halloween, what with all the kids ringing the doorbell. Tilly's got a great house in a local neighborhood, so we agreed to swap. I brought the candy and carved the jack o'lantern, she picked me up, set up a space for me in front of her house and even built me a fire. I headed her trick or treaters off at the pass and handed out candy. Her dog spent a peaceful night. And we both felt we got the better end of the bargain.

I reused a costume this year since I had little time to plan with other stuff going on. So here's me as the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland.

Which I think catches us up...whew.

Catching up III (wedding edition)

I left Friday (10/28), at an obscenely early hour in the morning, to fly - once again - to the East Coast, this time for my friend, Kim's, wedding. I got to spend some quality time during the day with my folks, which was very nice. Susan drove down that evening and arrived in the nick of time for all the chicks to head out for a round of haunted mine golf.

You heard me right... HAUNTED MINI GOLF! It's like chocolate and peanut butter, why had no one though to put these things together before. It was STUPENDOUS! You got a glowing ball and a glow stick necklace that ID'd if you wanted to be scared or not. There were no overhead lights, lots of spooky sounds and body parts and scary lights. The holes had glow sticks so you knew where to aim but not what might be in your way. And there were kids hired to play 'ghouls' who would sneak up and try to scare us. They got us a couple of times, but by the end we were all just laughing at each other, swapping stories and screaming occasionally for the fun it.

Saturday was Kim's wedding, which was Renaissance themed. Susan and I wore our feste clothes. My mom wore a lovely blue outfit Susan had procured for her and my dad went as a monk. The ceremony was outdoors. The day was pretty, but chillier than expected. The wedding went off with almost no hitches. The food at the reception was delicious and the mulled cider was also quite welcome. They served Virginia wines, which I though was a really nice touch.

That night, I went with my mom, sister and a couple of their friends to see Celtic Woman at Constitution Hall in DC. The group was new to me. They are like Enya, but there are several of them. There was an amazing fiddle player, very pixie-like, who danced around the stage. The music was very lyrical and beautiful.

Catching up II

The adventure continues...

Through an extremely fortuitous set of circumstances, I discovered that Sarah Vowell (she of *Partly Cloudy Patriot*) was to be speaking at a local college. My friend Cari lent me her car (which considering she's got 2 kids under 3 is way above and beyond the call of duty) and I drove out to see Sarah who was wonderful, as usual. In memory of Rosa Parks, she read an essay she had written about Rosa and then some new stuff and old stuff I hadn't heard before. In the Q&A that followed the reading, I asked if she had a new book in the works. She declined to answer on the grounds that talking about it would mean she would need to actually start work on it. I bought her new book (*Assassination Vacation*) and had her sign it and guess what? She remembered meeting me when she spoke at the NCC in Philly. Yay! I think I floated rather than drove home.

That Thursday (we're at Oct 27th now, for those who are keeping up), I went to my New Member Orientation for hOurCar, which is a TC based carshare program that I've joined. I'm hoping that car share will meet my driving needs and obviate the need to buy a car. There are two car hubs near me and both are in downtown Saint Paul. I take the bus to the hub (or go from work), pick up the car, run my errands and return the car. I pay a low monthly fee, and a per hour/mile fee and they pay for gas, insurance, maintenance, parking, etc. The fleet is all Priuses. The hybrids are pretty cool. It's wild to sit at a stop and hear the engine quit and have that be okay because the battery is still working. I made my first big grocery run with the car on Saturday. Worked out pretty well. We'll see how well this whole thing works over time.

Catching up

So - It's been a really busy few weeks. I'll try to catch everyone up. The weekend before Halloween weekend was terrific. My friend Liza had a bonfire party at her house. It was great, really low key. Had a few beers sitting around a roaring fire (which I got to poke often, yay!). Talked with friends from work. Toasted the Most Stale Marshmallows Ever.

Following that I attempted to conquer the Trail of Terror (say it in the scary voice) with Renee and her husband Donal. But by the time we got there, we were confronted with a three hour wait plus they could not guarantee we'd be able to do all the haunted stuff. So we came back the following day about a half hour before it opened and managed to be about 20th in line. The haunted house was AMAZING! Super scary and really long. Renee was the brave one who agreed to go first. I took the chicken position of middle. There were these long dark passages where I clutched the back of Renee's coat and Donal clutched the back of mine. The spooks were really good at finding new places to hide. And they made sure to scare everyone. Sometimes they would wait for Renee to pass just so they could get me. After the big haunted house, we went through the smaller haunted houses that surround the big one. The small houses are themed (like Phobias and Clowns). I was in the lead for Clowns and it was super freaky. There's also a Haunted Hayride, which was much less scary. But the girls sitting in front of us screamed their heads off anyway.

The Trail of Terror trip (say that five times fast) was ostensibly for work (though really we just wanted to go). See - my museum is working on a new exhibit about the science of fear and, on Monday and Tuesday, Renee and I participated in a brainstorming workshop. So COOL. The haunted house experience added a lot to our perspective on what was scary and how fear feels. I love brainstorming.

food automata

Check me out. Last Friday, staff were invited to participate in a workshop about making food automata. I had such a good time. You can meet my happy fish automata at this website. You can see me gluing a cracker in the second photo down on the right. Or check out the video. I appear about halfway through.

http://www.dicemice.com/works.html

This thing they call...book club

I had my first book club experience last night. Book clubs are popular in the Twin Cities, often growing into whole other things over time (like music groups). Sara and Cari (from work) are part of the same book club, which they described with disarming honesty as "sucky." Seems the members are often not able to attend or haven't read the book if they can attend. Sounds about right.

The book was "Anagrams" by Laurie Moore. It was...interesting. The writing was generally good and she's funny, often with pithy or witty comments. But the structure was strange and as a group, we could not decide if the ending was depressing or sort of happy. (Not to ruin it, but it turns out the protagonist is crazy, she admits it, but at the end of the book she retreats into her fantasy world. I figured she was happier there anyway.)

Anyway, it was nice to sit around and talk books and swap ideas on new ones. I've got 3 more trips east coming up before the end of the year so that's 6 new books to buy pre-boarding. For the group, I recommended we read Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell for next time. Assuming it's available, it should be a safe bet. I'd hate to pick a clunker my first time out of the gate.

quiet weekend

Quiet, but nice. It appears I'm somewhat allergic to Saturdays, in that I usually wake up sniffly, that turns to sneezy, then I require antihistimines to subdue the beast. Which does make for a nice afternoon nap. I also paid bills, did dishes, talked with my folks, normal stuff like that. Watched some bad TV and cheesy movies. I love the month before Halloween because everyone runs their monsterfest stuff.

Sunday the choir sang two songs; Calypso Alleluia (pretty much what it sounds like - but fun and toe tapping, not cheesy) and Sanctus et Benedictus, a cappella, which was so huge and moving it gave me chills. A smaller group from the choir also sang Kake Lambe, which a song of praise to the god of the harvest. It was fitting since this was the Sunday to make pledges. Ha.