July 31, 2006
Understatement of the week
It's official - we've hit 100 degrees for the first time in 11 years. Can it be over now? I'm tired of stepping foot outside and instantly sweating! I'd take 40 below any day of the week.
But honestly, I should really have something better to talk about than the weather, but I don't. Life is pretty good right now. The house is going well. Recovery is going well. Have been getting back to the gym lately, too.
Oh, but for drama - a buddy of mine called me on Saturday asking me to take him to the emergency room. A couple of hours later he was lying on the hospital bed, short one apendix. It was unpleasant for me, but I'm sure a little more so for him.
Met with a sponsee after work this evening. He started his 4th step ... "a searching a fearless moral inventory." Sound intimidating? It is.
Later in the night met with a friend who is moving to Oregon in a couple of weeks to begin a two year inductment process on his way to becoming a Jesuit Priest. Noble to the max - I cannot imagine what a life must be like having to make a vow of chastity, poverty, and obedience. I suppose it makes for a simple one if nothing else. And contentness can arise from simplicity, no? I think he's got the right idea.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 10:58 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
December 16, 2005
Mary is coming
It's official - Minneapolis is getting a Hamburger Mary's! I've never actually been to a HMs before - just heard about them. My friend Justin actually works at the one in Vegas and he's loving it. I had signed up to receive updates on the restaurant many moons ago and had forgotten about it until this email came in the other day.
Hi Honey,
I am sorry I haven’t written sooner, but I’ve been working my little tail off looking for the most absolutely fabulous space to have Hamburger Mary’s in Minneapolis! I won’t rest until the deal is done, and don’t worry – you’ll be the fist to know as soon as I’ve signed the dotted line!
I can’t wait to see you in my restaurant. The burgers and fries are outta this world – and don’t worry if you’re a vegetarian or a vegan, I’ve got great food for you too!
But I’ve been saving the best for last. Hamburger Mary’s Mpls isn’t just a restaurant – we are also Bar Stiletto where you’ll encounter the best and most diverse entertainment in the Twin Cities! And don’t even get me started on cocktails – delish, Honey, just divine!
Gotta run now, Sweetie – talk to you soon!!
Love,
Mary
Posted by SparklesMpls at 12:00 AM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
November 24, 2005
Foreigner keeps it up
I've had comments guessing at the country of origin of my mystery voicemail leaver. Polish, Russian, Persian, Indian, Arabic - who knows. But here she is on Thanksgiving still trying to get a hold of somebody. I'm starting to feel bad for her because she obviously doesn't know that she's calling the wrong number. And here it is on Thanksgiving and she has nobody on the other end of the line to talk to.
I am grateful I am not her today.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 10:51 AM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
November 19, 2005
Serial foreign caller strikes again!
For those of you reading for a while, you know that I have a woman who's been leaving messages on my voicemail at home. She clearly has the wrong phone number, at least I hope she does, yet she continues to call. I hope its not important, but I can't really tell. If anyone can decipher / translate the message it would be interesting to know what's been going on. It's also ironic to note that the language she speaks seems to be somewhat of a hybrid, as she always ends her calls with, "Okay, bye." (in English) Here are two messages I've received over the past two days.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 11:28 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
November 02, 2005
Fall (Autumn) in Minnesota
Do you refer to the season as Fall or Autumn in your part of the world? I've always said Fall - maybe to help me remember that I am supposed to set my clock back in the fall and forward in the spring. But I think it's got a more significant correlation - the leaves falling to the ground all around us.
If a strong wind comes along a tree-lined street, it's as if it's raining with the leaves falling all around you.
I remember raking leaves every year with my family. I abhored the chore of actually raking, but loved playing in the pile afterwards. In fact, one of my first memories is of playing in a pile of leaves (and peeing my pants when I couldn't get out).
Fall in the Upper Peninsula (of Michigan) is beautiful. So many forests turning color next to the freezing water of lake Superior. It's not unusual to find a road that is entirely shaded from the trees above, driving over the leaves that have fallen.
The brisk air makes my skin dry, and I anticipate going through a case of Lubriderm this winter, but I like the air because it feels clean and refreshing.
Warmer clothes are making their way to the tops of the piles in drawers and in my closet. Short sleeves sinking to the bottom.
I start closing the window at night because my bedroom gets too cool. The heat comes on in the morning to help ease the sudden chill when stepping out of hte shower.
Fog appears in the late evening into the early morning and the view from my window reveals cars' headlights coming through the mist. The fog also conveys a feeling of cleanliness, as if it's sucking the pollutants away and carrying them off into the atmosphere.
Soon there will be snow, but it will quickly melt until the air stays consistently below freezing, but when it does, rejoice, for fresh snow is the most beautiful thing nature knows.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 02:20 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
October 19, 2005
I wish I had a camera
I just returned from my daily Starbucks run. The Starbucks I frequent happens to be across the street from the Target Center. Today, in the midst of the "Vikings sex scandal on the sea" scandal, there is a very large cargo van made of glass, with bikini-clad women inside, catching some rays alongside small potted palm trees. The side of the van says, "Come enjoy the warmth of Mexico. Call 1.800.44.MEXICO." They could have at least had some men on board.
Meanwhile, it's 42 degrees.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 08:52 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
August 28, 2005
Suspicous activity
There's been some highly suspect things happening around the house lately. I present to you, the evidence:
Given the evidence, I can only come to one conclusion:
Somebody's been sleeping with the enemy again.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 10:43 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
August 13, 2005
Hippies
I was sitting at the coffee shop doing coffee and crosswords last week (just like I'm doing right now), when a full size, late 90s model cargo van pulled up right out front. No windows aside from the two front passenger portals and windshield, it had New York license plates.
Driver and passenger exited the vehicle, and upon doing so each stretched as if having just awoken. Mid twenties or so, each wore white t-shirts, jeans, and sandals; disheveled hair and a few days of facial growth covered their chins.
They came inside and studied the menu board - an obvious sign of their amateur status in the shop. Those who come here know what they want; the blackboard menu never enters their focus.
Ordering cereal and juice they took a seat near me. Shortly thereafter I noticed the side door of the van out front open up and a third guy emerged by throwing his flipflops outside and carefully manuevered his bare feet into them from the safety of the van. He had longer, approximately shoulder-length hair, and wore a loose-fitting linen shirt with cargo shorts.
The door to the vehicle still open to allow a fourth to come into the daylight. This fellow also stretched and went immediately for his front pocket for a morning treasure - a cigarette inserted into his lips and promptly lit.
The two latecomers joined the first two inside for some breakfast after spending some time studying the menuboard.
They sat there for about an hour. Quiet discussions took place, but nothing overly zealous or dramatic, just low-key conversation. Comfortable with themselves indivually and as a group, they integrated themselves into the energy flow of the cafe quite well.
I imagine they're on their way to Seattle or Portland, or perhaps heading back to New York from the west.
No real responsibilities or obligations, just the freedom of the open air. Sounds like paradise, doesn't it?
Posted by SparklesMpls at 10:25 AM | Comments (14) | TrackBack
August 06, 2005
Lasse faire fire
The roomie and I were lounging around the house this morning waking up, showering, checking email, shoving yogurt down our throats, painting our toenails - you know, the usual weekend morning stuff. And then it happened. An extremely loud and obnoxious noise was emanating from the hallway just outside our door.
"Is that the fire alarm?" I asked.
"Yes. This is the third time in the past couple of weeks," he answered.
The roomie works different hours than myself, so he is often home during the daytime hours when I'm away at work. Subsequently, he gets to see more of the action in the building.
We didn't put on clothes and shoes and head for the door. Instead we opted for the balcony.
"Wanna make a bet on how long it takes them to get here? I'm guessing two to three minutes, tops," Roomie challenged.
I countered, "No way. At least five minutes."
Not 20 seconds later we heard the sirens, and by 30 seconds past our challenge, there were two fire trucks in front of our building and more on the way. We watched from our balcony high above as the firefighters in full gear took a very lasse faire approach in responding to the alarm. At their own pace they hopped out of the truck and proceeded to the rear to grab some equipment, and then almost lazily walked towards the main entrance of the building.
In my astonishment I exclaimed, "How in the hell did they get here so fast?"
"They're here within two minutes every time. I don't know how they do it, but they must just be sitting at the fire station in anticipation."
We watched for a few minutes, went to the bathroom to examine the other side of the building. Saw a few of the older residents crossing the street like you're supposed to do in a fire. Then we went back to our business. The buzzing still giving us a headache from the hallway.
Now, I know that the nearest fire station is approximately 10 blocks away. Even IF these firefighters were sitting around in full gear, sitting in their truck, and were able to respond as soon as our fire alarm went off, there's NO WAY they would have made it to us in the 30 seconds it seemed they responded. It's just not humanly possible.
As I continued to sit around casually I pondered the possibilities of the extremely fast response time.
A. We have an incredibly performing fire response team full of guys nicknamed Nancy and Mary. As soon as the alarm went off in the Loring neighborhood, they knew they needed to respond right away, lest their wigs burn.
B. Someone called 911 and the operator kept them on the line for a while, and then said person went to the hallway to pull the alarm.
C. The fire dept actually knows about a fire in our building before we do. That's scary.
The alarm was finally shut off about ten minutes after it began. The roomie and I were both ready to head out for the day shortly thereafter and headed for the elevators.
The elevator opened and we joined the sole inhabitant - a lady who lived upstairs. The doors closed and she spoke aloud, "I wonder if the elevators work during a fire."
In my disbelief I asked her, "You mean you didn't go rushing for the exit when the alarm went off?"
Posted by SparklesMpls at 10:48 AM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
July 03, 2005
Blogologue
I was spammed on Friday - big surprise. Except this time, I actually read the email. It was from a certain Ryan Paul North (who can be reached at rnorth1@mn.rr.com). Ryan Paul was informing me of a new show that's part of the Minnesota Fringe Festival. I guess I can forgive them for illegally emailing me since they don't have a large marketting budget to legitimately collect email addresses with.
Anyhow, Ryan Paul was promoting this new show called Blogologue - read more about it at the Fring Festival's website. The show description from their reads:
Presented by Hamel Road Theater Project
Blogologue - an onstage, Google driven, Web browsing, sketch comedy, multi-media experience! Born from the best and worst of online blogs (web logs), websites, e-mails, bulletin boards, videos, surfing and spam! "Accessible, funny and a well done commentary on the modern Internet community."
The email was actually kinda cute - it had big bold letters, all centered, red type on a black background. Sorta took me back to the early days of SPAM, so maybe he did it intentionally, trying to look like amateur SPAM. Is there such a thing?
I might actually go to this. Any other interest for ye locals?
Posted by SparklesMpls at 11:02 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
June 29, 2005
There's a storm'a brew'n
Ooooh lar lar - this is going to be a fun afternoon! I love me some thunderstorms!
Posted by SparklesMpls at 09:23 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Twin Cities Gay Pride 2005
Sunday at the Parade, and later at the festival was another fun-filled and sweaty day!
This little lady was ready to take the kids out to see the queers.
It was so hot out, this queen had to remove her hair!
Pleasantly surprised to see my friend Michelle in the parade
Plenty of eye-candy marching down Hennepin :-)
Back at the festival I ran into my friends Dick and Matt.
More eye-candy in the park.
... and more undressed eye-candy due to the humidity. God bless.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 01:21 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
June 25, 2005
Minneapolis Gay Pride 2005
Just walked around Loring Park, where the Gay Pride Festival has kicked off. Today's theme was "Hot".
Hot Dogs
... and Hot Dogs
Hot Red
(special bonus if you can name the guy in red!)
HOT Guys!
146 other photos from the park in the Gallery.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 03:35 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
May 14, 2005
The Walker Art Center
The Walker Art Center's new addition has been completed now for a couple of weeks and is open to the public. I live a block from here, and am just now taking photos of the place - I know, I know - keep the tomatoes to yourself, please.
The rear.
More photos in the gallery.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 11:28 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
May 11, 2005
Traffic cameras
I live above this tunnel:
The entire metro area's traffic cameras are online. At least big brother is sharing! Next time there's a big accident, I'll be jumping online to see how big the pileup is!
Posted by SparklesMpls at 11:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
New toys are fun
I got a new toy tonight. A 5 megapixel, 10x optical zoom, with a 512mb media card, toy.
More photos in the gallery.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 12:52 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
May 09, 2005
BMW SUVs and serenity in the north
Jim told his story tonight at Hazelden. He did a great job. He's an awesome speaker, getting both laughs and applauses. It's quite an honor to be asked to speak at the treatment center that's pretty much invented the current 28 day treatment program prescribed to most sufferring alcoholics and addicts.
I'd never been up there before, but it's an awesome place. It makes the place I went to treatment look like a Hollywood Video in a stripmall off a two-lane highway in a 4th ring suburb. Hazelden on the otherhand, resembles a prestigous private university campus:
Check out the photo tour page of the facilities on their website.
It's up in Center City, MN - about an hour north of the Sin Cities, a.k.a., Minneapolis - St. Paul. On the way there you drive through a couple of really small towns that are purley Scandanavian and German. The small town culture up there is cute and endearing, but I can just imagine some of the folks going into treatment, just off the plane from LA or New York, driving through these towns. What must be going through their heads when they see the sign the nicest restaurant in town - Trappers. The only hint of civilization is a Hardeez that you have to drive down a pot-hole infested frontage road that may as well have been gravel.
But once you take that right turn on Pleasant Valley Rd., and another right on the curvacious and hilly private drive, you enter a world of walking paths through dense forests. A half mile into the adventure you come upon the campus - hidden from the rest of the world. It's what I imagine is a great place to come and find yourself.
On the way up there I spoke with my Grandma on the phone. She talked about staying at Hazelden for a week with my Grandfather for part of his treatment program for alcoholism. I have a hard time judging just how much of it she understood, or cares to lead-on to knowing. I think that she's more comfortable playing dumb and not talking about the real reasons he was there. He passed on about 10 years ago now and I believe she prefers to remember him as the perfect husband and father. He was a great grandfather to me, but I can imagine he had room for improvement in the father/husband role, being a practicing alcoholic. Who knows if I should even have these thoughts? Who am I to think and write these things?
My grandfather died of Alcoholism and Tuberculosis. He always appeared happy to me and made me laugh. However all the time I knew him he didn't appear physically well. By the time he finally passed his liver had all but shriveled up and he had 80% of his lungs removed. He required an oxygen machine to live and was barely mobile. I never knew him any different and I loved him anyway. I'm rambling now, but it was nice to think back on the memories I have of him.
Jim and I drove back into town and as I merged from one freeway to another, I noticed the most interesting sight. A BMW X5 SUV was towing a UHaul trailer. It occurred to me that I'd never actually seen one of those luxury brand SUVs ever tow anything. Sure, I've seen Chevy's and Fords towing around boats, trailers, and the like ... but a UHaul truck being toted along by an X5? It was utterly absurd. What would the other X5 drivers think if they saw that?
Posted by SparklesMpls at 11:18 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
May 07, 2005
Noguchi architecture?
I heard that Noguchi had designed one of the ING Financial buildings in downtown Minneapolis. I couldn't find a photo of the actual building, but it's somewhere in the neighborhood of Washington Ave & Hennepin Ave. Can anyone confirm this? I only thought of him as an artist / furniture designer, but didn't realize he'd designed a building as well.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 03:01 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
April 16, 2005
MMMMmmmm ... Lunch!
Posted by SparklesMpls at 11:44 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
April 14, 2005
... of mosquitos and rainbows
The date:Monday, April 11, 2005
The time: 8:00 pm
The place: My office
The incident:
The first mosquito of the season - ack!!!!
The date: Sunday, April 10, 2005
The time: Mid-afternoon
The place: Grant St, driving westbound between LaSalle and Marquette Ave's
The incident:
The first rainbow of the season! Check out the gallery as I chronicle the sighting over an entire two block span from the perspective of my driver's seat and to the annoyance of many nearly-missed pedestrians and delayed vehicles behind me :-)
Posted by SparklesMpls at 10:14 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
April 05, 2005
Sleeping with the enemy
Dustin has been sleeping with the enemy:
You'd never guess he works in retail, would yah?
Posted by SparklesMpls at 09:32 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
There's been a murder
I just walked in the door this evening around 9:00pm. I grabbed a few chicken breasts out of the freezer and threw them into the microwave to thaw. That's when I noticed it - the clue.
The clue
My mind started racing - should I open the door, or run and get Dustin? Could I bear it alone? I decided to brave it. I opened the cabinet.
The evidence
More evidence
"Ackkkk!!!" I screamed. Dustin came running from his bedroom. What could have happened? That's when we spotted the culprit.
The Culprit
Another view of The Culprit
After performing numerous examinations to determine the meat of the crime, I noticed the most horrifying thing:
Canned Asparagus???
This was most definately Dustin's doing.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 09:07 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
April 04, 2005
Ballerina Barbie and ... Tulips?
Spent much of the day cleaning house, doing chores, and paying bills. The stuff I don't really care to do, but have to do in order to keep my life somewhat sain. I decided I'd spruce up my activities by taking a few snapshots of a couple of gifts I received for my birthday: Ballerina Barbie and some flowers - I think Tulips, but I'm not a master gardener, so I'm not quite sure. More photos in the gallery.
Ballerina Barbie popped right out of my cake.
Tulips?
Posted by SparklesMpls at 12:07 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
March 12, 2005
The house is clean ... sorta
So my roommate had Friday off and cleaned the house, as we were expecting guests this weekend. He told me he even did all of my laundry, which is a super-special favor, as I had tons of it piled up.
Then I got home and he had framed my one year sobriety medallion, which was really cute and nice.
I went to bed pretty early on Friday night, exhausted from a long couple of weeks at work. Then I got up on Saturday morning and Dustin told me that we weren't going to have guests afterall. I ventured into the living room and found my laundry.
This is my roommate's idea of doing laundry. I suddenly become much less grateful for having such a great roommate.
Funny, I'm watching late night reruns of ER at the moment and they're talking about AA. I never realized that two of the shows main characters are in the program. They're in a diner discussing sponsorship and it's clear they know what they're talking about, even though the program isn't supposed to be made public. I suppose this is somewhat of an exception because these characters are supposedly in the program and they're just talking like I might talk with someone else in the program.
But then that got me thinking about the writers on the show. It's crazy how many people in 'the biz' are in the program. It's like a magnet for alcoholics and drug addicts. Sort of like advertising, but probably worse. :-)
Have a great night.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 08:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 05, 2005
My roommate got a new piece of furniture. Can you guess what it is?
My roommate got a new piece of furniture. Can you guess what it is?
We tend to think he's a bit of a princess.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 08:17 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 10, 2005
Uptown is heavily medicated
I've not had the best day. It all ended with me at Walgreens in line for my prescription refill. I counted twenty-phucking-three people in the waiting area! How medicated is my neighborhood?!? And don't they know there are nine other Walgreens in the area????
After impatiently waiting in line for what seemed like a semi-eternity, the loudspeaker announces, "so-and-so's prescription is ready."
This woman appears from the candy isle with a basket-load of Valentine's Day candy and pushes her way to the front of the line, where she proceeds to have the pharmacy tech ring up her prescription and her candy... oh and then she pulls out the wrapper of the snickers bar she's eating because she, "just couldn't wait." The phucking-pharmacuetical-audacity of this CUNT. The culprit is in red.
Do these people not see the line stretching around the store back to cosmetics? Just because your prescription is ready does NOT give you the right to bypass the line. I was so upset at the situation that I nearly lost it. The only thing holding me back from beating this woman to a verbal-pulp was that I knew if I did I wouldn't be able to stop myself from slapping her and landing myself in jail.
I mean seriously. HELLO. I called ahead. I had my prescription waiting for me. Where's my phucking express line?
The only comforting part of my trip to Walgreens was the realization that I'm not the only heavily-medicated uptown resident.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 07:59 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 22, 2005
6 - 9 inches
We got a boatload of snow yesterday! It's about time. We've been suffering with -30 degree temperatures and barely a trace of snow to pay off in the beauty department.
The poor guys across the street have been shoveling, building more, shoveling, building, shoveling, building ...
Posted by SparklesMpls at 01:37 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 28, 2004
Every morning
...I'm greeted to constant pounding while some new condos are going up across the street. Check out TheGroveland.com if you want to be my neighbor. More photos in the gallery.
Needless to say, given my fear of heights, my aspirations for a career in construction have gone out the window.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 09:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 25, 2004
Sarcastic advertising?
I was just on my way home this evening and I drove by Milios, formerly Big Mikes Super Subs, at Lake and Lyndale. They have a billboard above their building that changes out on roughly a monthly basis. Anyhow, their new add has a 30-something year old guy smiling at you, with a large headline that reads:
Cosmetic care, as authentic as you.
Am I reading into this too much, or is this a crack at the very same group of people they're trying to acquire as customers? The ad was promoting Abbot Northwestern Hospital. I think they need a new agency.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 12:17 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 13, 2004
Thunder and lightning!
It's storming out! It seems like we've had a lackluster summer for storms, but not tonight! We're in for a doozy:
Unfortunately it looks like most of the serious stuff is going to just miss the downtown area :-(
Posted by SparklesMpls at 11:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 28, 2004
What is this?
Any guess what this might be?
Nope, it's not a parking lot
... it's I-94 turned into a parking lot!
I was with a couple of buddies coming home from breakfast in St. Paul last weekend when traffic suddenly stopped. There was no movement for such a long time that people started to get curious, and ventured out of their cars. It was quite an odd site considering people are usually cruising along this part of the world at 60 mph. We wondered what happened - what could cause traffic to stop for 45 minutes. For as far as we could see, there were only parked cars and curious folks walking around.
This guy decided to organize his trunk
These shameless girls let their filthy car be known to the world - look at all the shit on the floor!
Traffic finally started moving again and we were crammed into one moving lane. We passed this state trooper with somebody in the backseat. We still had no idea what happened.
Yikes.
Double-yikes.
We finally passed through the jam - the two cars above having caused the holdup. Clear road greeted us. Note the gawkers on the opposing side of the freeway have caused another jam.
I heard in the news that night that a 17 year old Hastings teenager had stopped to help another motorist change a flat tire on the left side of the freeway. A third car came along and crashed into them. The 17 year old died. Sad. And we were bitching about being held up in traffic, and here this kid loses their life for trying to help out an older woman. Makes you remember to be grateful to be alive and have what you do.
Full size photos and more shots are in the gallery.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 09:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 14, 2004
New artwork - now on display!
... in my living room at least :-)
I consolidated my credit card debt a couple of months ago, and as part of the ritual, cut them up. This is what the result looks like, though I couldn't find all of them, these cards accounted for a large portion of the debt :-)
I was going to retake the photo when I realized that you could see the shadow of my crotch glaring off of the glass of the frame, but then I thought that the shadow may be appropriate.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 10:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 02, 2004
WTF?
St. Paul mayor Randy Kelly endorsed Bush for president yesterday, and he's a democrat! WTF???
Posted by SparklesMpls at 10:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 27, 2004
On the greenway
I was walking into work on the Greenway this morning when I saw a man walking his pet. This isn't unusual - there's normally a few people out doing the same thing. What was unusual about this man was that he was walking his CAT! He had one of those harness leasches hooked up to his big furball of a cat as it snopped its nose around a tree.
Am I ignorant - is this a normal occurance?
Posted by SparklesMpls at 03:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 26, 2004
IKEA trip
Okay, so I was all excited about IKEA opening and then I didn't even post anything about my trip... or maybe I mentioned it, but I think it deserves it's own post.
We're here!!!
In the main entrance area they had a Mini Cooper on display with all of these boxes stacked on top of it. The stack was so tall I couldn't fit the entire thing in the frame of my camera. On the very top (not pictured) there was a red sofa to match the car and the other various items. It must have been a nightmare to get this thing setup properly - notice it's leaning against the wall in some places.
I LOVED the cafateria! I paid only $3.75 for a serving of Swedish meatballs, potatoes, the chocolate desert, and a medium-sized soda! It was surprisingly good, too - especially considering it was served cafateria style! This is a such a good idea, too, considering how much walking you do in this place, and how much time you can spend there. You're bound to work up an appetite half-way through your shopping experience.
On this trip I didn't actually purchase anything. On the next trip (yes, I've been there twice in the past two weeks), I purchased an umbrella for $4. I've heard they sell them for a dollar off on days that it's raining. I'm waiting on any major purchases until I find out what the roommate is doing. Hopefully I won't have to buy anything.
There are more photos of my trip in the gallery.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 03:17 PM
My Minneapolis light rail debut
A couple of weeks back, two buddies from work and I decided to take a lunch hour ride on the new light rail system. This was the funniest part of the trip. The train was stopped, but the cross gate was down and this guy in his wheelchair was just stopped, waiting for it to come, though he was situated between the gate and the track, like he was getting ready for the train to come. I wanted to yell, "It's not worth it!"
Check out the rest of the photos in the gallery, too.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 03:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 14, 2004
MN gun law 'shot' down
This article in the Strib this morning is interesting. I admit, I haven't had time to read it yet, but I'm excited to. It's funny how things like this don't get any press until they actually happen - I suppose because a judge can't be influenced or bought (at least one would hope not!).
Posted by SparklesMpls at 03:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
IKEA opens!
OMG - check out the photos posted on the Strib's site of the wackos who camped out since Monday to be the first one's in the door!
I'm going to head there after work and take some photos of my own :-)
Posted by SparklesMpls at 03:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
No more biz casual for Target employees
Man - the Strib is just full of fun articles today! I actually caught wind of this news last month. Target HR sent out a company-wide email mandating the new policy and somebody forwarded me a copy. Thank gawd I work in advertising. Here's what it said:
Employees who do not follow these guidelines will be spoken to immediately, and may be sent home to change.
Monday through Thursday
Men
Preferred:
Suits/sport coats with dress shirts and ties
Acceptable:
- Dress shirts with sport coats and/or ties (If you are not wearing a tie, you will need to wear your sport coat if not at your desk)
- Dress knit shirts with sport coats
- Sweaters or sweater vests with pressed collared shirts and ties
- Dress slacks or pressed khakis
- Dress shoes or dress boots
- Pressed red shirts and pressed khaki pants
Not Acceptable:
No casual shoes, such as beach shoes/flip flops, Birkenstocks (or similar), hiking boots, or tennis shoes.
No jeans or denim of any color, except on Friday.
Women
Preferred:
Suits
Acceptable:
- Jackets
- Sweater sets
- Dressy sweaters, blouses or knit tops
- Jackets required with sleeveless tops or tops/dresses with spaghetti straps
- Pressed slacks, khakis or skirts
- Dress shoes, dress boots and dressy sandals
- Pressed red shirts and pressed khaki pants
Not Acceptable:
- No casual shoes, such as beach shoes/flip flops, Birkenstocks (or similar), hiking boots, or tennis shoes.
- No capris, jeans or denim of any color, except on Friday.
Friday
We will maintain our traditional casual Fridays.
Appropriate attire, neat jeans, polo shirts with small designer logos, and clean tennis shoes are acceptable. (Remember, casual Friday does not mean sloppy Friday.)
Not Acceptable Anytime:
- Shorts, overalls, jogging suits, leggings, Lycra pants, halter tops, sheer or revealing clothing (e.g., bare midriffs, short mini-skirts), T-shirts or sweatshirts advertising products or events, heavily worn shoes.
- Hats and caps, unless medically necessary.
Weekend, evening and overnight shifts:
Casual dress is fine for groups working during these time periods.
If you have any questions regarding appropriate dress, please contact your supervisor.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 03:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 24, 2004
Farmers' Market day!
It's Farmers' Market day on Nicollet Mall! MMM, good, cherry turnovers right outside of Gaviidae! It's too bad the two hunky farmer boys no longer work outside of the IDS tower. At least I haven't seen them this year. It's funny, though - anyone you ask, "have you seen those two boys outside of the IDS tower" and they start jumping, "YES, YES!" I used to take strolls down Nicollet several times a day every Thursday afternoon just to catch a glimpse of these guys. Sometimes I'd
buy a single banana or cucumber.
Please come back, boys.
Posted by SparklesMpls at 06:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
MMMM, Yum!
href="http://twincities.citysearch.com/review/5582754/?order_by=positive&ulink=profile_2_memberreviewheader_510___review__1"
target=_blank>Jucy Lucy's at Matt's are yummy!
Posted by SparklesMpls at 06:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
