I lived in Minneapolis for a few years, some years ago, and during that time I came to love the town and the quaint Midwestern customs of its citizens. People smiled at you on the street—without asking for money. If you were lost, they gave you directions—without asking for money. They even assisted the elderly … Read more
"Hitler believed modernists couldn’t see color as it was in nature, or humans as they were in life," remarks one of the scholars interviewed in The Rape of Europa — a documentary on the artistic pillaging perpetrated by the Nazi army during World War II. "He viewed this as a racial deficiency." And with that, … Read more
I usually take my coffee black. I prefer the same color in comedies, and particularly in that rare dark comedy that can be called a film. As you raid your video store or netflix account this weekend, finding a good dark film can be difficult–particularly when they are packaged as standard-blend comedies of the … Read more
All day a dragon in a rented crow costume was installed in the tree outside my house, shrieking imprecations and keeping me at bay. A few months back I reversed the mat on my doorstep so that each time I opened the door I would encounter the word “WELCOME.” My hope was that this would … Read more
On the well-manicured lawn that is the Democratic primary, there resides a two large groups of little old men shouting epithets at one another, screaming for "these kids" to get the fuck off their lawn. Sadly, these arthritic individuals aren’t Edina’s most senior residents, as one might expect of these wizened figures glowering at any … Read more
The menu at the new Red Pepper in Saint Paul combines Vietnamese, Thai and Hmong dishes, but since the first two cuisines are pretty widely available elsewhere, I decided to try one of the Hmong dishes. Number 27, sweet pork belly with eggs, turned out to be a savory stew with big chunks of roast … Read more
SPECIAL EVENT¡Vive Minnesota! The first-ever annual Vive Minnesota…El Festival® — a three-day Latino music, art, and food festival — hits Harriet Island this weekend with some seriously hot local acts performing salsa, reggaeton, Latin Jazz, and more, on two stages. The line-up, which consists of 30 musical acts spiced with Latin dance performances, includes Salsa … Read more
Sidney Ponson? Come on, seriously: Sidney Ponson? You have to be kidding me. Truly, there is very, very little that could give me more displeasure than seeing that fat Aruban hump toss a complete game gem in the Metrodome. My displeasure wouldn’t be much diminished even if he had been wearing a Minnesota uniform. (Here’s … Read more
It should come as no surprise at this point, to regular readers of my blog, that I am not shy about sharing with you what makes me… ME. This morning I saw a DVD that I had been waiting for, sitting on my counter in the kitchen — images from my family’s Zip Lining experience … Read more
As I bare my flesh to the knife today and have an evil, pesky organ removed from its familiar home-turned-battleground, I shall come in and out of consciousness thinking about the pool opening today in my courtyard. I shall be thinking about the sun, beating on my belly, rather than a knife. Truth is, I’m … Read more