Ah, the weekend lineup. They just about write themselves. I’ve been looking forward to it all week… There’s yet ANOTHER Minnesota Book Awards reading tonight, and this will be the last since the official awards are being handed out tomorrow. Guess who’s “moderating” tonight’s reading? Tha’s right. Me. (Sorry Tex!) But with a lineup that … Read more
Here’s the frustrating and telling thing about last night’s half-assed performance in Kansas City: Sure, the Twins scored just one run off Runelvys Hernandez, but it’s what they did –or didn’t do– when they weren’t scoring that one run that was so pathetic. Hernandez was making his first 2006 start, this after going 8-14 with … Read more
I know these things about my barber: He refers to his wife as “the battle-ax.” Or, alternately, as “the fucking battle-ax.” Though uncommonly foul-mouthed, even by my debased standards, his favored exclamation remains the sturdy and old-fashioned, “Oh, my stars!” The project of his old age is reading all thirteen volumes of the Lewis and … Read more
Seems I’ve become a fan of the Westminster Town Hall Forums. You probably already know about the Forums, but if you don’t: These are series of speakers, sponsored by our favorite Presbyterian church on the mall, that tackle all manner of contemporary subjects. Last year Westminster embroiled itself in the arts, inviting such heavy-hitters as … Read more
Sure, the Twins scored two runs against a lousy Royals team, but look on the bright side: Last year they would have given up three. Good news: The Twins are now 4-1 in one-run games. Bad news: They’ve now scored three or fewer runs ten times, and are 1-9 in those games. There, I’ve posted. … Read more
All right, oldsters. Indulge me for a sec by turning down The Current or, for all you true contrarians, the Jazz 88. Today’s offering comes in the form of a love letter to dear, little Radio K. Remember when? Remember the dreary radio days of post-REV 105, when there was no such thing as The … Read more
He wasn’t even sure anymore if he could jump, could get his fat ass off the ground. One more pathetic little milestone on his way down the drain. Still, he could always find consolations. There were people out there who couldn’t get out of bed, people for whom showering was an adventure worthy of Indiana … Read more
“La Jetee”, 1962. Written and directed by Chris Marker. Starring Davos Hanich, Helene Chatelain, and Jacques Ledoux. Narrated by Jean Negroni. From the files of street critic Sandoth “Guy” Fresno, recorded on fourteen postcards that arrived in chronological order this January, waterstained (or so he claimed) from Hurricane Katrina. Each postcard was identical, of the … Read more
I committed the cardinal sin of the kitchen last night. I let my attention stray while chopping garlic. Slice. My zucchini was a-sizzlin’ in the pan, someone had The Simpsons on way too loud, and I was thinking about my window of opportunity to get some potatoes in with the roasting chicken. I was slicing … Read more
Here’s where I give props to some competitors: It seems a couple’a folks over at Minnesota Monthly are having some success with Before The Mortgage, a recently published anthology of essays about adult life before taking on any real responsibility. There’s a public reading tonight at Magers & Quinn bookstore, 7 p.m. And yes, I … Read more