It’s Minnesota’s sesquicentennial on May 11 and Minnesota Monthly has an amusing article called “How Minnesota Saved Civilization.” I knew Post-Its were invented here, but I didn’t know about the electric toaster and kitty litter! Yay, us. 😉
Amusing bit see on a Biffs truck (but not captured on film): “13,000 lbs of very gross weight.” Truth in advertising, indeed. 🙂
Thanks to CursingMama for introducing me to the Caffeine Click Test. I achieved both “jittery” (151 clicks) and “spastic” (156 clicks).
Reading Update
Nightlife, Moonshine, and Madhouse (Cal Leandros, Books 1-3) by Rob Thurman. For the first half of book one, I wasn’t sure I was going to keep reading, as Cal is, quite frankly, a huge and annoying PITA. But I slowly got sucked into this gritty urban fantasy series and read all three books in about as many days.
Eternal Lover. This was a collection of four novellas. I read the stories by Jackier Kessler, Richelle Mead (a tale about Georgina Kincaid, succubus), and Lynsay Sands (sadly, not part of her Argeneau Vampires series). This whole collection is completely skippable.
For a Few Demons More by Kim Harrison. Another solid urban fantasy (about witch Rachel Morgan) that had me sniffling a bit near the end. The next/latest book (The Outlaw Demon Wails) is already on its way to me from the library.
Mortal Groove: A Jane Lawless Mystery by Ellen Hart. The Jane Lawless mysteries are set in the Twin Cities and feature restaurateur Jane and her theatrical friend Cordelia. This is a well-written series that will be especially enjoyable if you’re familiar with the Twin Cities. In this book, Jane’s lawyer father is running for governor.
Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs. The author of The Friday Night Knitting Club returns, this time with a novel about cooking show host Augusta “Gus” Simpson, her family, and friends. Although you can read the first chapter online, I don’t think the first chapter does the rest of the book justice – which was exactly what I thought about The Friday Night Knitting Club, too. (I have a slightly longer review over at LibraryThing.)
Weekend Update
I’m heading up north to my brother and SIL’s cabin later this morning. Rumor has it that the lakes “up nord” may still have ice or there may still be snow on the ground. I’m sure you know how much I hope those rumors are unfounded! Have a good weekend! And shhhhh… don’t tell the kitties…
“I heard that. How could you leave us?! Look at how cute I am!” -Mayhem
P.S. As I continue to experiment with various settings on my new camera, I often end up with adorable pictures that aren’t the greatest quality, like the one above…
Heh – I haven’t had more than one cup of decaff every other day for about a year or so… and… I scored 162 – Extremely High – Excessive Energy, Spastic (and very nearly “Cracked out”, paranoid) – just as well I’m keeping off it then!
Thanks to Minnesota, my kids sometimes make breakfast (toaster waffles, strudels & muffin tops) and lunch (Totinos) for themselves 😉
Have a great weekend, Chris!
May’s look says, “the Momma cannot go up nord!”
Enjoy yourself, Chris.
Wha’?? Up nord? But…but…Mom! *blink blink*
Kitty litter!
Have a great weekend!
I get that look nearly every day, when I leave for work.
Don’t worry, May, she’ll be back!
May looks so worried! How can you leave?
Psst Have fun!
Have a great time…and May, it’s okay. You’re warm and dry. Mom’s going to where it could well be COLD!
(((hugs)))
Hate to tell you, but I scored 160 and haven’t had my morning tea yet. Does that mean that I’m normally jittery and don’t need any caffeine?
Have a good trip!
Darn! I forgot to get Minnesota a birthday card! Have a faby weekend with the fam! I’ll have Sammy and Tig call the kitties to check in on them.
Here’s hoping those nasty, nasty rumors are unfounded!
I love how cats sit so prettily with their front paws just so. Mayhem looks very thoughtful in that picture.
Have fun this weekend – maybe knit yourself a sweater to take along?
🙂
Weather is supposed to be unfortunate this weekend – bring the handknitted items.
If perchance you haven’t left yet – tell me about the Jane Lawless books. I’m searching for a mothers day gift & coming up empty.
My mom loved the Monkeewrench books – reads Vince Flynn (and I think she’s got a secret crush on him) – The Sue Grafton ABC books – Stephanie Plum – and Mary Higgins Clark. Does this fit?
If I’ve missed you – I’m sure I can figure it out; but you are a guru of sorts 😀
Have a fantastic weekend – keep the wool dry.
Enjoy your weekend.
I’m just Moderate – Chipper & Perky. Need caffeine…
Toronto had it’s sesqui in the 80’s. Someone named their cat Sesqui.
Have fun up North (said in a loud voice!)
I once saw a sign on the back of a semi that said “Vehicle makes weird right turns” instead of WIDE right turns. I’ve always wished I had had a camera with me!
Off to take the caffeine test – I’m in the midst of my first cup rightnow.
I was in grade school at the time of the MN centennial; the school put on a musical tribute, for which we practiced daily for at least six months. Or so it seemed. We learned the MN state song (Minnesota, hail to thee / hail to thee our state so dear), the MN rouser (Minn-eh-so-tah, hats off to thee! / To thy colors true we will ever beeeee), Sweet Betsy from Pike (it was years later when I finally figured out that the Red River they crossed was probably the one in Texas, not the one that became the MN/ND border), She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain (why they chose that song is a mystery; there are remarkably few mountains in MN), and others that apparently have leaked out of my memory.
That was fast. Halfway through my first cup of the day, I got beyond “Spastic, nervous,” verging on “Cracked out, paranoid.” They say that makes me a highly productive worker and jittery!
so many good things are from Minny… Kirby Puckett, Prince, Bob Mould, Cloud Cult, Jessie Ventura, Paul Westerberg, Harmon Killebrew
May and I had coffee this morning. That face thinks she would like to go along. Wherever your are….. She’d heard that there is tons of fetch played and even fishing poles!
She also mentioned while she knows why Chaos isn’t invited on this adventure, she’s been doing all the posing lately. And it’s a lot of work. Being a paw/claw model doesn’t count.
Hee, good sign.
have a great weekend.
and errr, I’d pack my long-johns if I were you (heh heh)
Okay. That was, by far, the longest I have ever spent on a port-a-potty website. In fact I’m pretty sure that was my first time on a port-a-potty website. What a weird spike in traffic that’s going to be for them.
Yet, she is still adorable.
Maymay is so cute!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DON’T LEAVE ME!
Have a great weekend and happy birthday Minnesota. Hopefully you’ll find things unfrozen. I’m not sure May is happy about you going though.
Kim Harrison sure pulls you into the story, doesn’t she? have fun up nord, eh?
I bet they know, even if you aren’t telling them. Kitties are smart that way.
Have fun 🙂
You can tell I’m tired when I read the title of your blog and then still have to look up the word sesquicentennial. duh. Have a great time at the cabin! Just for the weekend?
p.s. It’s 10:20 pm and I “clicked 179 times in 30 seconds.
Your caffeine level for today is:
Insanely High – A vibrating crackhead”
I once saw a septic truck with this slogan: “Your number two is our number one.” Who says Minnesotans don’t have a sense of humor?
Holy cow, you wicked clickers! I only was 76 clicks… maybe my hands are just beat from all the digging and weeding and transplanting, but WHATEVAH! I’m w/ kitkatknit, yikes, I was asleep at that hour! I just saw Minnesota’s community classification yesterday, VERY impressive… and even more so is that it is on the techy end, but yet foresters and land managers there are using it.
ROFL I can’t believe how fun that was. Thanks I needed a good laugh after this long week. 218 clicks ‘Near Death’ I couldn’t stop laughing for at least another minute after that. BTW: Mark says you definitely need more caffeine. Maybe I need to cut down… or maybe not. Loved the Minnesota article too. Have fun at the lake, hope it’s warm up there for you.
Hope you had fun up nord! In the ice and snow.
I’m always amazed at how well your kitties photograph. My black doesn’t photograph well at all.
Thanks for the review of both books. I hadn’t read either, but that’s good to know that it gets better. I think I will put the book on reserve at the library.