For many months, on her way to and from school each day, Gloria had paused at the pet shop window to gaze with a combination of adoration and desire at the pretty little accordion nestled there in wood shavings and newspaper confetti. Each night at the dinner table she would beg her parents to let … Read more
MUSIC Bad, Beautiful Women with Big, Bad Voices What do you say about a woman who describes herself as a Japanese classic music, Christian rap, regional Mexican artist? Holy crap?! Well, if anyone merits this phrase, it’s Meshell Ndegeocello. Or is it Me’shell Ndegéocello? Or Michelle Lynn Johnson? Who knows. And who cares. She’s utterly … Read more
Back on October 23, a reader wrote to tell me that she and a friend had gone to Blackbird and while the overall experience was wonderful ("Both our meals were quite good — [my friend] nearly licked her plate — and I like that it’s in my neighborhood, friendly service, etc."), they were soured by … Read more
BOOKS & AUTHORSRaking through Books If you’ve been resenting the lack of story time for adults, then this evening’s Raking Through Books will please you immensely. Twin Cities local literati — Shannon Olson, Carl Brookins, Heidi Erdrich, Todd Boss, and Colleen Kruse — will read from books they liked as children. What fun! They won’t … Read more
Here is the first sentence of today’s Star Tribune editorial on "Aiding Baby Boomers’ Search for Meaning": "The nation’s supernumerary baby-boomers have reached what’s being gently called "the second half of life," but the big generation is still doing what it has done since its diaper days: It’s demanding notice and altering the contours of … Read more
Someone put a food curse on my house. I cooked like crap last week … Nothing lived up to expectation, mistakes were made at every turn, I threw my knife more than once into the wooden chopping block. Maybe it started with the Osso Buco my husband attempted last weekend. He had been craving the … Read more
And this other thing: One of my fave local fashion photographers, Nic Marshall, just sent along these new portfolio pics. Local designer George Moskal (also one of my faves) lent some of his latest looks for the occasion. I absolutely lurve the following fancy, gray brocade dress with roped belt. Actually, it’s the dress I … Read more
Warning: In this post, you’ll have to wade through some sap before arriving at the payoff. This weekend I met my new mentee via the U of M’s school of journalism mentoring program. (I’m also on the school’s alumni board; do the warm-fuzzies never end?) Here’s what I love about mentoring: You give and you … Read more
Whoa. Sarah Janecek’s Politics in Minnesota newsletter sure lobbed one into the Strib newsroom late Friday. In a Weekly Report item entitled “MnDOT Under Seige: The Star Tribune’s Agenda,” Janecek writes that MnDOT personnel are getting pretty fed up with certain pushy, expletive-spewing Strib reporters. According to an email sent by a MnDOT mucky-muck to … Read more
MUSICBen Lee At the very green age of 14, Australian singer-songwriter Ben Lee emerged on the music scene with his then-band, Noise Addict, and caused a minor stir, garnering the attention of members of both Sonic Youth and the Beastie Boys. Fifteen years later, with albums, movies, and experience under his belt, Lee is in … Read more