Total spent: $8.00
“Oh no – more books!” -Mayhem
Category Archives: Tales of the Neighborhood
Hang on for the ride!
If linear’s your thing today, better move along. Here? Not so much. You have been warned!
Don’t forget to leave your comment for the SoC “But since I wasn’t blogging then…” contest before 5 pm CDT today!!
Reading Update
In the Bleak Midwinter and A Fountain Filled with Blood by Julia Spencer-Fleming. These are the first two Claire Fergusson (Episcopalian priest) and Russ Van Alstyne (police chief in Millers Kill, upstate New York). The books are well-written and suspenseful and I already have the next few on reserve at the library.
A Deeper Sleep by Dana Stabenow. The latest Kate Shugak novel – these extremely well-written and suspenseful mysteries are set in remotest Alaska. You definitely want to read them in order!
24 Declassified: Trojan Horse by Marc Cerasini. Really, what can I say? 🙂
Of course, I didn’t drink any green beer on Saturday, but I did accompany my SIL to a midday bowling tournament and took a few pictures…
Something I don’t write about very much, strangely, is how much I love music. Ye gads, I don’t even have a music category on this blog! But I happily listen to my ipod at work all day, listen to my beloved 89.3 The Current in the car to and from work and while knitting at home, and listen to all sorts of interesting things via my favorite music blogs: Largehearted Boy, Cable & Tweed, An Aquarium Drunkard, Chromewaves, and the MPR Current Song of the Day.
So yesterday, when MamaTulip tagged me with a music meme, I decided to play along, even though I usually don’t do memes. (Although I have put a few music memes on a separate page, for the morbidly curious.) Basically, list seven songs that you are into right now or seven songs that you can listen to over and over. My list will be a mixture – and I might have more than seven…
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Splendid Isolation – Pete Yorn. I like Yorn’s version better than the original by Warren Zevon…
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Prom Dress – Deborah Pardes (click “Songwriting” to listen to the song). What’s not to love about a song about how wearing an old prom dress cheers up everyone around you?
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This Year – The Mountain Goats (actually, almost everything from The Sunset Tree). This is a dark album, about lead singer John Darnelle’s rough childhood.
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Always Coming Back HomeTo You – Atmosphere. The song that helped me realize I didn’t hate all hiphop. This song is set in my neighborhood!
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Mark Rothko Song – Dar Williams. I feel like this in museums sometimes…
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Oxygen – Willy Mason. Love this song’s social commentary: “I wanna speak louder than Ritalin, for all the kids who think that they’ve got a disease…”
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Lie Detector Test – Sage Francis. More social commentary.
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Things the Grandchildren Should Know – Eels (the version from Eels with Strings: Live at Town Hall). Um, yeah, this could be me on some days. Yikes, eh?!
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No Key, No Plan – Okkervil River (plus their song Black). I’m a sucker for punk rock folk, what can I say? Of course, I’m also a sucker for the punk rock caberet of the Dresden Dolls, so…
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The Shining (Avalanches Good Word for the Weekend Mix) – Badly Drawn Boy. “…and suddenly you’re in love with everything…”
Chaos isn’t much for music…
“I am so hungry. Diets suck. Hmm. I wonder if that kitten would be tasty?” -C
“I think it’s best if I hide under here for a while, don’t you?!” -M
Ah-choo!
I apparently have a summer cold. Blech. My brain feels wrapped in cotton wool… Hopefully I’m feeling livelier by Sunday, when Deb, Jeanne, and I journey east (along with many other Twin Cities knitters) to see the Yarn Harlot in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. I’m still surprised that Eau Claire is as close as she will be to a metro area of over a million people, with more than 20 yarns stores… although I know that her publisher has tried unsuccessfully to set something up for the Twin Cities. Oh well – I’m looking forward to meeting some Wisconsin bloggers, such as Vicki of Knitorious.
Anyway, since my brain’s a bit sloggy today, I will attempt to distract you with colorful architecture! In the purple series, here’s Dreamhaven Books and Comics, located a few blocks south of me on Lake Street:
Here’s the Rainbow Building, located on Lake Street a few blocks west, in Uptown – first from the front and then from the side.
Seems that Chaos is keeping the exercise bike warm until I feel healthier…
“Actually, I’m waiting for you and the camera to leave the room so I can get started with my workout.”
Eye Candy Friday with Random Bits
Ok, although I’m not officially a part of Eye Candy Friday, I thought this overgrown motorcycle in our alley was pretty cool. It reminds me of a Charles de Lint story, maybe something from the Borderland…
SRP Update
The Renewable Virgin by Barbara Paul, 215 pages. The first Marian Larch mystery (1984)! Bless the Minneapolis Public Library system for maintaining mystery series integrity. (Yes, Cute Library Guy was there, but I was too shy to talk to him… I know, I’m a dork.)
I’m liking the charcoal Regia Silk in the waffle pattern (two rounds of knit 2, purl 2 ribbing, then two plain rounds). Hopefully I make a lot of progress on it over the weekend so that it seems worth photographing. This probably won’t come as a surprise to anyone, but my Cabernet Adamas shawl is still a ball of yarn and likely to remain that way for a while, so no more Amazing Lace for me. And I still need to knit some Bitchin’ (baby) Mittens – yikes! Oh well, at least I finished the TrekAlong, right?!
In other personal knitting news, I had a pattern accepted by MagKnits for the December issue! All I’m going to say about it is that you can make the project from a single ball of Kureyon…
I still have a few more local purple architectural features to take pictures of, but to tide me over until I get around to it, Trek sent me this purple house from New Jersey. We should all forgive her for the slightly illegal action she took to get this photo, becase I love this house. Thanks, Trek!
And how could we end the week without a little Chaos, looking ever-so-sweet after his shenanigans of a few days ago… Have a great weekend, everyone!
“Whatever do you mean, Mom? I am the very soul of sweetness and innocence!”
Saturday sky: Uptown Art Fair
Here’s the thing – if you live in Uptown Minneapolis, you dread the annual Uptown Art Fair because streets are blocked off, traffic crazy, parking nonexistent, and crowds formidable. Today was no exception as I ventured two blocks into the madness to return some library books at Walker Library (exciting library moment – I actually had a brief conversation with Cute Library Guy!).
Anyway, I present to you – Saturday skies of the Uptown Art Fair. First – the warning sign:
Next, the Uptown icons – the Uptown Theater and Calhoun Square (middle back), with bonus airplane! (Remember, you can click on any picture to make it bigger.)
Want to get a better idea of the crowds?
The sky over the Uptown Transit Station as I headed home again.
And an amusing billboard (plus sky, of course) at the corner of Hennepin and 28th:
Sculpture garden
Twilight in the sculpture garden
We’ll walk around the place
Look upon the beautiful secrets
That all the artists made
– Semisonic
On Sunday, I also wandered through the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, just across the street from Loring Park. Probably the best known sculpture is Spoonbridge and Cherry, which is also a fountain (the water comes out of the end of the stem when the fountain is on).
Minneapolis is sometimes called the “Mini-Apple.” (Please note that the buildings of downtown are not slowly toppling over to the left. Whoops.)
I’m particularly fond of Woodrow.
And of Standing Glass Fish, which is located in a small conservatory on the west edge of the Sculpture Garden.
I thought that Paul Walters Piece looked like a very large ball of yarn.
Which reminded me to get out my Trekking sock and take another picture of it.
And then I headed home…
“I don’t think I like what you’re implying here.”
Blue, blue building
Last night I met Renee for dinner and margaritas at Bar Abilene. We ate, drank, and were merry, then wandered down the block to take in an advance screening of Who Killed the Electric Car? at the Lagoon Cinema (I won tickets to it!). The documentary was extremely well done and very thought-provoking. The director and one of the main people in the movie were onhand afterwards to answer questions, which was great. Check out Renee’s indepth review!
Anyone remember the bright green building from last month? This month, I present (for your Project Spectrum amusement and amazement) the blue, blue building. (Remember that you can click on the pictures to see larger versions.)
Notice how well it blends into the neighborhood?! It’s a nice bit of color, especially in the winter.
Here’s a closer view, taken in the parking lot – please note that the Dunn Brothers Coffee isn’t open anymore. Do you see the mural? Here’s a picture of the rest of the mural:
“Your eyes are growing heavy… When you wake up, you won’t remember this conversation.
You will go forth, knit bibs, and wear them. Bwah-ha-ha!”
Art thou blue?
Well, I moved all my pictures here from blogger – a few of the thumbnails that appear in the posts are messed up, but if you click on them, you will go to the larger, uncorrupted image. Sorry about that! More more more changes on the way… but all dependent on free time and learning curve!
Also, if you’re having trouble figuring out how to comment, you just click on the number to the right of the post title.
Some more Project Spectrum images from my neighborhood – today’s theme is art.
The elementary school on the next block has some very cool small mosaics on the pillars of the playground fence…
…as well as around the top edge of these freshly painted primary planters:
A mural at Saint Sabrina’s Parlor in Purgatory, one-stop shopping for all of your tattoo and body piercing needs:
A stunning mosaic inspired by van Gogh’s Starry Night on the alley side of Muddy Waters – it includes mirrored tiles:
Um, really, I have no idea what’s up with this giant puppet outside of Arise! Bookstore… oh, ok, now that I peeked at their website, I think they had this puppet in the Mayday Parade. It maybe looked a little less startling in the parade than sitting outside the bookstore on Lyndale Avenue!
Back at ye olde condo, Chaos looks pleased that he might have faked you all out about eating TRT.
“Hee hee!”
Signs of the city
Welcome to everyone who managed to find us after our move yesterday – thanks for the kind words about our new home! Please be patient while I get familiar with WordPress – there will be lots of tweaking for a while.
I was wandering around my neighborhood recently and I noticed a lot of Project Spectrumesque signs.
Ok, this sign isn’t blue… but it’s the iconic emblem of Uptown, Minneapolis (and look at how blue the sky is!) – the Uptown Theater. However, the Lagoon Cinema just down the street does have a blue sign:
The YWCA used to have blue awnings, which would’ve been perfect for PS June, right?! Nope. They recently changed the color (after PS April, alas):
I live in the Lowry Hill East neighborhood, which is also known as “The Wedge” due to its pie slice shape.
“Check out the new digs! I’m glad I didn’t have to carry of the heavy stuff when we moved.”
Urban Trekking with feckless yarn
On Saturday, I trekked over to Nicollet Avenue, also known as “Eat Street,” to knit with Renee at Bad Waitress.
We had some tasty coffee and breakfast foods and caught up on things.
I was chastised by a staff member for trying to take pictures of some of the kitschy decor for y’all, so you’ll just have to image the stuffed hammerhead shark and other such gems!
I worked on my Trekking #78 sock. I didn’t pull my Trekking sock out during the walk because it was windy and the last thing this Trekking sock needs is to be exposed to wind… Can you guess why?!
Yes, there were some severe yarn vomit issues when I started the sock. About 1/5 of the skein came out while I was searching for the end! (I was even getting a pedicure at the time, so I could start my Trekking season out right. Ungrateful yarn.)
“Oooooooh, I shouldn’t have eaten that TRT… Look how bloated it made me!”