Scenes from the melee that was the Trader Joe’s opening in St. Louis Park. Seriously, it was packed. Anyone with a cart was nearly lynched. Everything is sold under the Trader Joe’s label. The cheese selection was good but not phenomenal. And I want phenomenal cheese forever more. Yay, gazpacho! A nice deal on frozen … Read more
One of those things I wish I had tickets to: The Minnesota Orchestra is performing Tosca all weekend long. Word on the street is that soprano Deborah Voigt, in the title role, has been knocking musicians’ socks off in rehearsals. On that note, here’s a word to the wise/note to self: If you want to … Read more
So the American Composers Forum has this little record label called Innova. Last I checked the label was putting out some great new jazz and gospel records, as well as the requisite “contemporary classical” discs. The few Innova-issued recordings in my collection include The Beat Circus, which is basically a collection of zany circus music–a … Read more
The Maggie (High and Dry), 1954. Directed by Alexander Mackendrick, written by William Rose. Starring Paul Douglas, Alex Mackenzie, Tommy Kearins, Hubert Gregg, James Copeland, Abe Barker, Andrew Keir, and Meg Buchanan. Quite possible the only place to get this remarkable movie is at Netflix. Did I ever tell you the story of when I … Read more
Little Big Car A journalist once asked Truman Capote after a hard days work just how many words he had committed to paper. “One,” said Capote. “After working all day, just one word?” asked the journalist. “Yes,” said Capote, “but it was the right word.” I may never be able to define a “Chick Car” … Read more
Augusten Burroughs. University of Minnesota Bookstore. Tonight, 7 p.m. That’s all I’ve got! Sorry. I had a long, exhausting, but ultimately great weekend that involved much shopping at Art-A-Whirl, whereat I bought a yellow necklace of Japanese beads and a low-pitched, laminate beam coffee table. I’m pleased with both purchases, but especially the latter. This … Read more
Joey Chestnut, they muttered beneath their breath, Joey Chestnut could be the one. It may be too soon to talk about it, we may be jinxing the best chance we’ve had in a long time, but the world of competitive eating is a-buzz with Joey Chestnut. Last Thursday, in the Las Vegas qualifier for the … Read more
For years I lived in a rooming house where I shared a bathroom with a giant and a mermaid. The mermaid spent a lot of time in the bathtub. The giant had dodgy hygiene, generally poor social skills, and a full head of bright red hair. There was often discussion around the place as to … Read more
Finally! All those copies of Faust come out of storage. Rarely can it be said that the library is the coolest place to be, but today that’s especially the case… because the new Minneapolis Central Library is officially open for business. Thousands-upon-thousands of items are finally available for checkout. Halleluiah! For more information on the … Read more
Art-A-Whirl makes me hungry. Maybe it’s walking around all the inspiring art that makes me think I, too, am a starving artist. Maybe it’s all the pondering and provoking of thought that starts my tummy a-grumbling. Or maybe it’s the wonderous lack of cheese curd trucks combined with the knowledge that I’m surrounded by some … Read more