August 2005 Archives

Just about four years ago we brought you home from the hospital.

A few days ago we celebrated your fourth birthday.

I've learned so much about the world because of you. You've gone from being a bright-eyed little baby to somebody with a mind all her own. I love your sense of humour, the little jokes you make and the way you like to laugh about things. Your fearlessness going down the big slides is a source of pride to me. When you ask about giving half your birthday money to your brother, I envy your big heart. The fact that my kisses still make your scraped knees feel better melts my heart. Happy birthday to "daddy's little girl."

So after seeing my face sans beard for the first time in five or six years I knew it was time for the moustache to come off as well. No one I currently hang out with, including my wife, has seen me without a moustache. The only person reading this, who might remember, would be the blogger known as "vegan chai".

I've had a moustache ever since high school so I am still a little spooked when I see myself in a mirror.

A few responses to the commenters from the previous shaving entry.

Q. Was this on purpose? (Pearl)

A. I did this on purpose. I planned it out in advance and checked with all the people in my life who kiss me. Now that I write that, I realize that I didn't check with my wife's grandmother. I assume since she made it through the depression and WWII she'll weather this change just fine.

Q. Was this because of the goat comment? (anonymous)

A. No.

Q. Why did you do it?

A. Cry for help, like everything else.

Q. Seriously why did you do it?

A. Not quite sure, it just felt like the right time.

Q. You did it to get attention right?

A. O.K. but didn't I already say it was a cry for help?

Q. They say men with beards are hiding something -- what were you hiding?

A. Traditionally men are hiding fat jowls & receding hairlines -- obviously those couldn't apply to me ;)

The best reaction after shaving just the beard and leaving the moustache was from my favorite co-worker who screamed and said, "You grew a moustache."

I also enjoyed my daughter telling me the next day, "Put your beard back on." It was as if she thought I had sent my beard out for drycleaning or left it hanging in the closet.

I've haven't written much lately so here are so I'll do a little catching up tonight.

I loved The Angels Retirement Speech, by Annie Farnsworth, which appeared on The Writer's Alamanac.

 ... now they've got
their own miracles, like cell phones
and videos - who needs a visitation
when they've got their own apparitions
appearing and disappearing, all night
on Extended Basic Cable?
With advances like that,
a voice from heaven is not all that impressive,
nor the sight of winged creatures hovering
in a golden shaft of light.

Food for thought.

Who Would Jesus Torture?. I've got no answer to that question. Good time to re-read Sister Helen Prejeans essay "Would Jesus pull the switch?"

Very odd.

Walking on water -- I still snort at the line in the article which said "Anyway, the pontoons are tethered to each other so the walker’s legs don’t spread apart and make him look like an idiot. Can’t have that happening can we?" There was a whole article in the NY Times covering this idea a while later.

Great random quote.

"In the future, everyone will be on the TSA's no-fly list", Coyote Blog -- My Follow-up to Andy Warhol.

Oddly compelling art from nuclear weapons testing.

One more poetry link for good measure.

The rest of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

And for the avid do-it-yourselfer in the audience ...

Build your own computerized etch-a-sketch. Man I wish I had the free time to build one of these.

The First Ammendment Project is putting together an auction to raise some money. There are a number of authors including Amy Tan, Michael Chabon and Stephen King who are auctioning off the oppourtunity for your name to appear in an upcoming book. The web page lists Chuck Palahniuk as well but he isn't listed on the Ebay auction page. He would be my personal first choice if I had the any chance of wining this kind of auction.

before

after

I finally got around to reading "The Shipping News" by Annie Proulx.

It took me a little while to adjust to her writing style, but I found that I really enjoyed her amusing descriptions of the characters and scenes in the novel. I didn't have to read very long before I found myself quite interested in the fate of Quoyle and his family. I'll definitely check out some other books that she has written.

There were a lot of lines I really enjoyed, but perhaps the last paragraph in the book was the most haunting.

I spent part of the week having a little R&R in B&B Lanesboro, MN.

Lanesboro is one of those really quaint small towns with nice inns, B&B's, arts, interesting stores and a theater. It's also right on the Root River trail. The trail is an easy to ride, paved 42 mile trail which follows the Root River.

Jeannie and I stayed at the Habberstad House. The owners Nancy and Dave made us feel right at home. The breakfasts were great. The house blend of coffee was first rate and everything they prepared was perfectly done. I'm not sold on eating ice cream or molten chocolate cakes as the first course of breakfast, but other than that it was very good. I enjoyed the chit chat in the morning with the other guests in the home. We had guests from the UK who were especially entertaining. I kept explaining that not all Americans ate ice cream for breakfast. Much to everyone's amusement we kept running into them in town at the various restaurants and shops.

Here is the view from the Carriage House. You can see the grounds are nicely landscaped.

The bed part of the B&B.

On Wednesday we headed out of town a few miles and came to the house of local potter Joel and his wife Maria. Joel is my aunt's brother. I visited them a few years back. They were kind enough to take time out of their busy day to show Jeannie and me around their home and workshop area. They have a truly amazing home; even their bathroom sink is a beautiful hand thrown piece of pottery. It was a pleasure to spend time with them enjoying their kind hospitality. They seem to have an idyllic life.

We biked on to the next town, Peterson, and had a great lunch in the local diner. I don't think there was anything on the menu that cost more than $4.25. The pies were freshly made and the sandwiches were filling and tasty. We headed back to Lanesboro and ended up with 28+ miles on the odometer.

I can't seem to get enough roasted vegetables lately.

They are so easy to make. I just get whatever looks good at the farmers market, wash it, slice it, toss it lightly with olive oil & sea salt, bake it at 400° until it looks ready to eat. The veggies cook up sweet, soft and a tiny bit carmelized.

I finally got around to seeing Super Size Me. I loved this movie. It was funny; it made its point rather well and didn't pretend to be anything too serious. Morgan Spurlock does a great job of being the writer, director and star of the show.

I haven't eaten very much fast food this year. I rather suspect I won't be eating much fast food for a good long while. I can't get over the size of the ingredient list for the chicken nuggets.

Seeing this movie reminded me of "the ramen incident." My employer used to provided free ramen noodles. I used to eat them for lunch a lot, sometime three or four times a week. One day as I was walking down the hallway a co-worker, W_____, looked at me and told me something like, "those things will kill you." Once I started thinking of them as "death noodles" they lost a fair amount of their original appeal.

The questions and multiple choice answers in this quiz didn't quite fit me, I took my best stab at appropriate answers. Enjoy.

You Are A BCBG Black Leather Clutch You're a modern, urban chick who's more than a little tough (Well, as tough as you can be while carrying a purse) Black leather is like your denim - goes good with everything You'd even wear it to work, if you could get away with it What Kind of Handbag Are You? Take This Quiz :-)

[Link Courtesy of Dowdydiva]

I love the idea of "The Ministry of Reshelving". Check out the photos of people who are reshelving 1984 by George Orwell from Fiction into the Current Events category. I really want to do this next time I am in a bookstore.

[Link Courtesy of boing^2 and jennie.]

Looks like Young Joel is feeling inspired to post again. I loved the post titled "and yet".

I often have the same reaction Joel describes when I come through the door and two children rush at me, hug my legs, pull on my laptop case and shout "daddy" happily at the top of their lungs. If you look closely enough, Jesus even makes a guest appearance in the blog indicating to me that perhaps seminary isn't quite finished with Joel.

Welcome back to the blogosphere! Pull up a chair and pour yourself a tall one.

When you are walking in the woods, there is nothing quite as welcome as a patch of wild blueberries.

This year when I was on my annual camping trip with my niece and nephew we happened to be camping during when the blueberries were thick and ripe.

Seth, my nephew and Matthew, my son, accompanied me on a walk across a 640 rod portage from Trout Lake to Pine Lake in the BWCA. We weren't carrying a canoe; we just were out for a stroll. We kept encountering thick patches wild blueberries.

If you've never had wild blueberries you have missed out on one of nature's best treats. The blueberries in the store are much larger, but have far less flavor. At first Seth seemed uninterested in the berries, but after watching Matthew and I greedily pick and eat handfuls of berries he tried them. He was an instant convert. Everyone tried to outdo each other finding the sweetest and biggest berries. Matthew was convinced he could spot them better since he was so close to the ground. He always chided me for leaving too many.

Wild Blueberries occupy a special niche in my mind. There are so many things in life you have to work for. If you have a garden you plant, water, fertilize, and harvest before you eat. Blueberries are different. No one seems to have planted them and no one tends them; you simply have to be mindful enough to look for them. In my experience difficult walks & rambles are almost always punctuated by blueberries just where you need them.

Halloween, Alaska will be having a CD release concert at First Avenue on Saturday, September 10th. I loved hearing them back in June and am looking forward to seeing them again.

I'm bummed that I'll miss them since I'll be out sailing that weekend.

The co-worker who would prefer to be called my favorite co-worker and her husband went with my to a Thai Cooking class at Supatra in St. Paul. I had never been to Supatra as a patron before but the class piqued my interest because it began with a tour of the St. Paul Farmers Market.

When class began, Supatra Johnson took us all across the street to visit the market. She pointed out all the Asian vegatables and helped explain a little about how they might be used. It made me feel a lot more comfortable about buying some of the more exotic vegetables and herbs that are available in the farmers market. I also found out that my favorite herb, Thai basil, is very easy to find if you are just looking in the right place, i.e. not Byerly's, Cub, Rainbow or Fresh & Natural.

Supatra then demonstrated how to make Thai Lettuce Wraps. They tasted great, but they were served with lettuce that was a poor choice for wrapping anything in. The poorly suited lettuce aside, the marinade for the meat & seafood and the tamarind dipping sauce were outstanding. The sauce seemed especially easy to make and had a lot of flavor. I wouldn't mind serving this at home, but would get a lettuce that was easier to roll up.

My favorite dish by far was the Som Tum or Green Papaya Salad. It was very easy to make and the flavors were a great blend of hot, salty and sweet. I've had Som Tum before I think, perhaps as a garnish to a larger dish, but I never knew what it was. I'm going to get the supplies to make this dish A.S.A.P. If you ask me to bring a salad to your next event this is likely what I'll bring.

It was a treat to not only learn some new cooking techniques but to have a great meal included. I enjoyed the class and I'll be back to check out the restaurant.

I don't remember where I first saw Lindsay's Satellite Map Mural, but it a super cool way to decorate a wall. I love the way it is both abstract and super realistic at the same time. I would love to paint a wall like this.

So lately I've been bicycling more. I have one question. When on a mixed use trail, when I say in a clear voice "Passing on the left", why do people panic and move in every direction?

So tonight I was walking across a parking lot, to my local theater. Someone in their car passed me and shouted "Man Whore!"

I understand the reference is likely from the movie "Deuce Bigelow, Ace Gigolo" or perhaps the newly released part two, "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo". My question is why do I get the special attention? This is the second time people have shouted memorable things at me this year.

I know the breathless 90's with the hype about the web is over. Something special still happened; buried under the hype a kind of human freedom that is still being explored and discovered was born. Check out Kevin Kelly's article in a recent edition of Wired for more thoughts on this topic.

Sometimes a certain time of life seems to have a theme associated with it. This summer there have been two themes.

For some people in my sphere it's been the "summer of healthcare". People around me have gotten sick, had surgeries, had accidents and generally been to more doctors than usual. For me, this has driven home the conclusion that is always true, but easy to ignore most of the time; people are fragile, much more fragile than I care to think about most days. I hope I don't forget this. BTW, to everyone who is still recuperating, please get well soon.

In addition to the "summer of healthcare" it's also been the "summer of let's stay at Tim's house". I think I've had guests in my house since June. I guess I never shouldn't have started the double miles promotion for guests staying in my guest bedroom. Lucky for me, the people who have stayed have been very self sufficient, very helpful and fun to be around.

At one time, I honestly thought a wall separating Palestine and Israel was a very good idea. I had no idea people would create small islands of land, cut through orchards or any thing else that would make the situation economically unviable. On principle I still favor a wall, but not this one. I thought it would cool things down so that when people decide they can make a lasting peace they can tear it down just like they did in Berlin.

In the face of heartbreak occasionally great art is made. Check out this graffiti by Banksy. The last one where the girl is being lifted by the balloons especially speaks to me.

Last night I went to the Dakota County Fair. I was there to see Jeannie's cousin Jennifer perform at the Chautauqua. The music was great as usual and I really enjoyed the whole performance. I'm always stunned by the quality of the music and singing at the Chautauqua. I even learned a little local history about Dakota County while I was being entertained.

When I announce at lunch that I was going to the fair, someone asked if I was going to the fair to show my goat.

No, I do not have a goat. If I had my own goat I am sure someone would have gotten it by now.

I really enjoy the Dakota County Fair. Like most county fairs the scale is small and human. You can see everything in an evening and leave with money in your wallet. This is of course much harder to do at the Minnesota State Fair. I love checking through the arts and craft exhibits.

I saw my third Coldfront show last night at Whiskey Junction. I work with a couple of guys from the band. I love to see the way they pour heart and soul into their shows. My favorite songs from last night were "Basket Case", "Back in Black, and "Faith". Yeah, that's right they perform skillful covers of heavy metal standards and one George Michael song.

One of these days I'll have to stay for the fabled third set.

What's on heavy rotation on my iPod?

Nick Drake, who I first heard on the soundtrack to Garden State. He recorded some really great music. It's hard for me it was originally recorded in the early 70's as it sounds so good today.

What else? Lou Barlow, Michelle Malone, Counting Crows, Halloween Alaska, Martin Sexton, Bowling for Soup and U2.

I've repeatedly waxed poetic about Hell's Kitchen. I won't bore you with how much I love the food yet again. Today I would rather point you to a link to a little Minneapolis history. Turns out the building that Hell's Kitchen is located in is the historic Minneapolis Crafthouse. I wish they still had the Japanese Garden out back.

I usually don't quote from private email correspondence, as it pushes up against the barrier between private and public. Tonight I'll make an exception since it's about a lovely phrasing rather than the content of the correspondence.

A professional writer friend of mine was responding to me about a future date I had suggested for something or another. She indicated that one date might not work saying "We have plans that we haven't yet made ..."

What a great phrase that is. I'm going to use that one in the future.

So how many punch cards would it take to store a three minute MP3?

I've had a couple of great lunches recently.

First up is Pop!. Pop is in an odd unassuming location in northeast Minneapolis. It has quite a nice menu with great fresh soups, super competent salads and interesting entrees. It's not the fastest place for lunch but the food has been really good both times I've been there. It's a really nice switch from the chain restaurants found in nearby Roseville. Maybe I like it best of all since it's such an unexpected gem and it's a nice place for a conversation -- the great food is just a bonus. (I love the little coffee shop across the street too.)

POP! A Neighborhood Restaurant
2859 Johnson St. NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418
612.788.0455 

Next up, Cosetta's Italian Market & Pizzeria located in downtown St. Paul a short walk from the Science Museum and not far from the Excel Energy Center. They have a really impressive selection of salads, pastas with a fabulous sauce, and pizzas. The prices are good and the deli style ordering ensures a quick service for the famished. It's what casual dining should look like in my opinion. When you are done eating they have a great little specialty market where you can pick up some great deli items like specialty sausages or fresh mozzarella cheeses. I love their red sauces on the lasagna. If you haven't been there do yourself a favor and go there next time you are near downtown St. Paul.

Cossetta's Italian Market & Pizzeria
211 7TH St W
St Paul, MN 55102-2520  View Map
(651) 222-3476

Last up, the hamburger chain Red Robin. When I went to D.C. this co-worker of mine (you know who you are) kept talking about her love of and desire for "greasy hamburgers". When I got home I had to have one myself. So I thought, "Hey what about this new place I keep driving past, Red Robin? It seems like a nice place." So I went there. The hamburger tasted fine, the service was really good, and the fries were very bland. Perhaps it was the portion size, I really don't know, all I know for sure is that I thought about looking for the Syrup of Ipecac when I got home. I felt bloated and greasy and I dreamed of relief. I'm not saying don't go there, I'm just saying it's not high on my list of places to go. You might like it for all I know.

If you want a great burger I think Gordy's Hi Hat is the best place to go.

Having ridden my bike a bit more this year, I loved reading this list of helpful "biking etiquette" tips compiled on the "Fat Cyclist" blog.

For sometime i've been meaning to read some of Edward Abbey's books. After coming across the quote below I think I'll have to bump this up on my priority list.

[Link courtesy of Anita Sharpe. Sadly she found that inspiring quote printed on the funeral program for her friend.]