I had plenty of occasion, believe me, to wonder what the hell I was doing with my life. How was is that I found myself living in a garbage scow of an apartment building (crammed with shitheels) that had the nerve to call itself Christ Is Risen Estates? How had I acquired so much confusion? … Read more
I have a good buddy who we’ll call “Roy”. He’s a total foodiphile and routinely calls me from the market on weekend mornings to give the good report on what he’s finding. Before he owned his own business, he was a pro server at some of the best fine dining establishments in town. Roy is … Read more
Short-n-sweet: the University of Minnesota has invited local puppet and object theater master Michael Sommers onboard its showboat to perform Old Four Eyes: A Mississippi Panorama, a new play by Kevin Kling. I highly recommend Sommers’ work for reasons that I can’t push through this morning’s fog of coffee- and sleep-deprivation. The first performance is … Read more
I don’t suppose you’ll get this letter before I shove off, Phil, but I wanted to leave you with a few words all the same. You’ve probably known me longer than just about anyone, and you know that I’ve always been a dreamer. You probably recall that I used to dream about being an astronaut. … Read more
Road To Guantanamo, 2006. Directed by Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross. Starring Riz Ahmed, Farhad Harun, Waqar Siddiqui, Afran Usman, Shahid Iqbal, and the actual Tipton Three, who give us their story in interviews: Ruhel Ahmed, Asif Iqbal, and Shafiq Rasul. Since June 29, my wife and I have been enjoying a visit with friends … Read more
This is the first real weekend of summer. No holidays to plan for, kids are tied up with “other plans” that don’t include family or summer sporting events, friends have had enough of me over the Fourth and it’s going to be hot. FRIDAY I’m simply craving sushi, maybe to help cleanse my body of … Read more
The, uh, preferred weekend agenda: Tomorrow night at the Turf Club, they’re offering a crash-course for geeks like me who’ve fallen out of touch with the local indie music scene. The band Diplomacy, whose music is described as rather peppy and yet restrained, will celebrate the release of another new CD. “Try If You Like” … Read more
There’s no way the Bicycle Film Fest will get by unnoticed by the likes of me. In fact, I’m so excited that I’m even been contemplating, over my oatmeal this morning, whether I should ride to work–this being something I haven’t done as often as I’d like to this year. I’d like to honor the … Read more
Let’s start the short week on a light note, shall we? Those zany Art Car artists now have their own exhibition at Outsiders and Others Gallery–and they’re working in media other than automobiles, mind you. The official opening is this Saturday evening, but the show’s on view between noon and 5 p.m. today, tomorrow, and … Read more
I used to sit around late at night, mulling and wondering, and watching dark things scuttling through the long shadows on the floor. I would try, try, try to get the story straight, my story, but the thing was no longer capable of running anything but crooked, and it ran through some thick patches of … Read more