Last year, my kumquat and I deemed mid-February a good time to soak it up in South Beach. Sunshine, not booze. At 8 A.M., he was off golfing, while I was setting up my kit on the pure white shingle (had I been naked I would have been perfectly camouflaged), lapped by azure waves. By … Read more
HARD-SCRABBLE LIFEIn “War of Words” [the Rakish Angle, January], Tim Bewer is kind enough to cover the National Scrabble Association’s activities here in the Twin Cities, as well as mention the All-Stars tourney in Rhode Island, which was also on ESPN, and finally he acknowledges that two Scrabble-oriented movies are soon coming out of Hollywood. … Read more
I love food. I’m a food lover. Maybe the infatuation started when I was bartending to put myself through school; I always seemed to end up with the kitchen guys at 2 a.m., cooking up a mess of eggs and leftovers. But my real journey didn’t start until I fell in love with a chef––now … Read more
My buddy Ben saw an advertisement for a little boutique that specializes in sex toys for smart women—a small, independent shop owned and operated by women. It got him thinking. He told me it made him want to buy something for his wife, Val, as a surprise for their anniversary. Ben started to sort of … Read more
My dear friend Julie wants to marry Louis, our nearly house-trained Yorkie-Poo puppy. A lot of people might think it’s offbeat and even disturbing that Julie imagines matrimony with a small, furry dog, who, charming though he may be, has certain disgusting habits, like snacking on my nephew’s dirty diapers. Mostly, I’m used to the … Read more
Hello, everyone. My name is Colleen and I am a women’s magazine addict. I am addicted not to Harper’s Bazaar, not to Vogue, but to the kind of women’s magazines that are displayed at the checkout lanes of your mid-range grocery store chains. It’s embarrassing, but it’s true. Whether I’m on the Stairmaster at the … Read more
African-American comedian Dave Chappelle has a recurring feature on his Comedy Central show, Chappelle’s Show, called “Ask a Black Dude.” During one segment, someone asked the Black Dude (aka Paul Mooney) why black men walk with a certain attitudinal swagger. Mooney responded that black men have a style that makes us the most imitated people … Read more
He didn’t want to strike me from the rolls,” says twenty-nine-year-old Becca Cillian of her father. “But he sort of had to … he was the bishop.” She’s a solidly built young woman with a wolf-like grin and curly hair that tumbles in an exuberant cascade down to her shoulders. The fact that her own … Read more
These ladies won’t go down without a fight. Among those local theater companies who remain dedicated to content that’s challenging, political, and thought provoking and yes, still great fun Frank Theatre is at the top of our list. In its past two seasons, this freewheeling company has mounted two of the best Minnesotan productions in … Read more
What is it about Modest Mouse that has everyone’s palms sweating with glee? There are a few important elements: a reverence for Built to Spill that verges on the spiritual; the buoyantly hardcore shout/singing, and most of all, an uncanny way of using the most oblique approach possible to convey the most direct of feelings. … Read more