2016 Summer Plans

It's time.

May 1- MayDay Parade
May 20-22- Art-A-Whirl
May 21- Little Free Library Festival


June 4-5- Grand Old Days
June 5- Open Streets Lyndale Ave, Lyn-Lake Festival
June 11-12- Northern Spark
June 14-21- South Carolina trip
June 23-25- Twin Cities Jazz Festival
June 25- Jourdan Myers at Lake Harriet bandshell, 7:30pm
June 25-26- PRIDE Festival
June 26?- Uptown Food Truck Fair


July 9- Midtown Global Market Music Festival
July 10- Open Streets downtown
July 17- Bastille Day Block party
July 18- Vicky Emerson at Nicollet Island, 7pm
July 21- Matt Hannah at Minnehaha Park, 7pm
July 22-23- Lowertown Blues Festival
July 23- Art Car Parade
July 24 - US Bank stadium tour
July 24- Open Streets East Lake
July 30-31- Red Hot Art


Powderhorn, Loring, and Uptown art fairs
August 7- Open Streets Northeast
August 8- Walker Music & Movies, The Pines and Hairspray
August 18- Music in Mears, Rogue Valley
August 21- Open Streets Franklin
August 23- The Paper Days at Father Hennepin Park, 7pm
August 26- Mill City Five at Minnehaha Park, 7pm


September 10- Open Streets West Broadway
September 18- Open Streets Nicollet


October 1- Open Streets U of M


OTHER:
Northeast Nightmarket
river rats shows
food truck fairs- uptown, st paul
Aquatennial parade and stuff
walker free first Saturdays
Fridays at 5pm- family Fridays at midtown global market
Every Saturday- Mill City Farmers Market
Normandale Japanese gardens
Fort Snelling park

Cat Flight

2015 Summer Plans

I doubt we'll make it to much this summer, but this is a tradition and helps me get excited for warmer weather, so here we go.


May 3: May Day Parade
May 15-17: Art-A-Whirl
May 16: Van Stee at Bauhaus, 6pm
May 17: Romantica at Anchor, 6pm

June 7: Cactus Blossoms at Grand Old Day, 12:30pm
June 13-14: Northern Spark
June 16: Celebrate NE Parade
June 20-21: Stone Arch Festival
June 20: Summer Solstice performance 5pm
June 23: Northeast Nightmarket at Bauhaus, 6pm
June 27 & 28: PRIDE festival
June 28: PRIDE Parade, Uptown Food Truck Fair

July 4: Walker free first Saturday, concert at 11am, bike parade at 12pm
July 5: Mpls Pops Orchestra at Lake Harriet Bandshell, 5:30pm
July 12: Bastille Day Block Party, Open Streets Northeast
July 19: Midtown Global Music Festival
July 21: Northeast Nightmarket at Bauhaus, 6pm
July 23: River Rats show, 6pm
July 25-26: Red Hot Art
July 25: St. Paul Food Truck Fair, Art Car Parade, Midtown Phillips Festival, Aquatennial Fireworks

August 1: Walker free first Saturday, Mpls Art Lending Library, 12-4pm
August 2: Open Streets East Lake St
August 8-9: Powderhorn, Uptown, and Loring Art Fairs
August 9: MIA Birthday Block Party, 11am-5pm
August 12: Internet Cat Video Festival
August 16: Open Streets Franklin Ave
August 18: Northeast Nightmarket at Bauhaus, 6pm
August 23: Open Streets Downtown

September 11: John Mark Nelson cd release at First Ave
September 12: Open Streets University Ave, Monarch Festival at Lake Nokomis, Art Shanties at MIA
September 20: Open Streets Nicollet Ave
September 26: Open Streets Lowry Ave


Anytime:
Caponi Art Park
Normandale Japanese garden
Fort Snelling Park

When I first see you

 

Sufjan's tumblr is super random and bizarre, but nestled among the Donny Hathaway videos and People covers of Nancy Kerrigan are tiny gems like this.

 

Also, if you are overdue for a very long, sad, ugly cry, make sure to pick up Carrie & Lowell today!

life with child

Every time I think that I've got this thing locked down, something [...] happens and keeps me in check. First kids get so much love and attention, but they certainly become a victim of first time parenting, right?

And don’t get me started on ‘common sense’. You can convince yourself that every theory/method of parenting is common sense if you want to. It’s common sense to make him eat as much as he can so he sleeps through the night, but it’s also common sense to just give him the food and he’ll eat as much as his body wants. It’s common sense to go in and comfort your child in the middle of the night when they are crying, but it’s also common sense that if you do that every time they will start to expect it and cry just for the comfort. I can go on for 15 pages about this.

Here’s the thing: the first year of motherhood is ONE big dichotomy- a total emotional whack, actually. I feel powerful because I DID THAT and every day I continue to do that. BUT I feel powerless because I am tied emotionally to him at all times and I feel like I can’t make my own decisions any more. I feel beautiful because when people are in love they are more beautiful, and my smile is so broad and genuine. But I feel ugly because my body isn’t exactly up to par and I went ‘mom’ real fast. I feel like I nail it because there are days when the home-baked frittatas are received with a huge YUM, and naps are totally effortless. And yet I miss it constantly because, I mean…  so many reasons - he’s still drinking bottles at night, he only has like 2 play dates a week, his ‘brushing of the teeth’ is a total joke, etc. You name it, I feel like I’m missing it. I feel so grateful and like the luckiest person on the planet, while at the same time feeling like a total martyr; as if I do everything. I don’t. Brian is a serious 50/50 parent but it doesn’t negate that weight on my body. I feel so much pressure and I feel so tired all the time, but so does Brian. It’s easy to feel like a martyr when you are a parent, no matter how much of the work you are doing.

Emily Henderson, on her 14 month old

oh, lemurs.

source


when I saw the thumbnail of this photo, I was like, "dang that is one chill tarantula."

2014 Drink of the Summer

 

for obvious reasons. we'll be back to the real stuff next summer...

 

 

past DoTS: 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010

Bub's world

Internet cats are silly and ridiculous, but what do you do if one accidentally happens to you? I have long been impressed with the way Mike Bridavsky has handled his cat's accidental celebrity and success. this article from SPIN delves into his philosophy behind Lil Bub's business decisions and celebrates the independent/DIY nature of Bub's realm, not to mention their philanthropic efforts. also, photos of the cutest cat on the planet.

Summer plans 2014

This summer feels so much busier than previous ones, so I doubt we will make it to many events (especially after July). But I do like having a list of everything that sounds interesting at our disposal, so here we go... Summer 2014!


May 4: May Day Parade
May 10: Harriet Brewing food truck rally

May 22-September 1: Walker Mini-Golf

June 12: Farewell Milwaukee at Mears Park
June 13: Cactus Blossoms at Water Power Park for Stone Arch Festival, 9pm
June 14-15: Northern Spark (music line-up here, Greycoats show here), Stone Arch Bridge Festival, BoneYard festival, Green Line launch festivals at Target Field and Union Depot
June 21: Summer Solstice performance at Stone Arch bridge
June 28: Rachel Kurtz playing at PRIDE fest, John Mark Nelson CD release at the Cedar
June 29: PRIDE Parade, MN Food Truck Fair, Matt hosting Off the Cuff at the Aster Cafe

July 4: fireworks downtown
July 5: Walker free first Saturday
July 11-12: Jurassic Park at the Riverview, 11:30pm
July 11-13: The Bear and the Barrel w/special guest Greycoats
July 13: Bastille Day block party
July 19: Midtown Global Music Festival 12-8pm
July 20: Lake Calhoun beach bash
July 23: Torchlight Parade
July 24: the Bakken Museum free admission and open until 8pm
July 26: Art Car Parade, 6pm, Aquatennial fireworks, 10pm
July 26-27: Red Hot Art
July 27: Open Streets Central Ave

July 3, 10, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23: TC River Rats waterski shows

August 2-3: Powderhorn, Loring, and Uptown Art Fairs
August 2: ReSpark, 9pm-12am
August 7: Cactus Blossoms at Mears Park
August 9: Pizza Luce block party
August 14: Internet Cat Video Festival, Greycoats and Chris Koza at Mears Park
August 17: Open Streets Franklin Ave

August 21-Sept 1: MN State Fair (Monroe Crossing Aug 25-26)

September 14: Open Street Nicollet Ave
September 20: Open Streets Lowry Ave

all summer: Music and Movies in the Park!

Inoculation

A little bit of fear in a safe place is like being inoculated. It gives you something you can go through and be sure that you’ll come out the other end. It teaches you to be brave.

Neil Gaiman, on writing scary stories for children

Animals in the news

Porrick the pig was abandoned by her owner, so the townspeople pitched in to take care of her. look at that little shelter!

an abandoned Soviet ship filled with starving rats has been set adrift by Canada and is expected to crash into the British Isles soon. I guess Canada isn't always the good guy.

Ordinary Love

am i the only one who thought U2 was covering Sade? and was a little disappointed to find out that wasn't the case? (side note- if you've never seen the video for No Ordinary Love, please go watch it right now. Sade as a sparkly emo mermaid.... i've said too much.)

anyway, i was pretty skeptical of OMGNEWU2SONGWATCHVIDEONOW. i was a huge fan as a teenager and college student. that's the time in your life to be earnest and idealistic, and early U2 serves up the perfect soundtrack for wanting to save the world, and believing that God would really do it. but like all those first bands we fall in love with, they age and become grown ups and usually the music suffers. (side note #2- i heard a few of Pearl Jam's new songs on the radio, and realized that they are to teenagers today what the Rolling Stones were to me- a previously kick-ass band who are now all like 50 and their new stuff is lame and very much trying too hard. this realization made me feel so sad. and so OLD.)

anyway, i took a chance on the U2 song and i quite liked it. apparently it's part of the soundtrack for the new movie about Nelson Mandela, who they befriended years ago and obviously take much inspiration from. the video is cool too. i like the typography, despite all the jump cuts. anyway, take a listen and see what you think.


Ordinary Love from Joe Ahorro on Vimeo.

Buddha in Glory

Center of all centers, core of cores,
almond self-enclosed, and growing sweet--
all this universe, to the furthest stars
all beyond them, is your flesh, your fruit.

Now you feel how nothing clings to you;
your vast shell reaches into endless space,
and there the rich, thick fluids rise and flow.
Illuminated in your infinite peace,

a billion stars go spinning through the night,
blazing high above your head.
But in you is the presence that
will be, when all the stars are dead.

Rainer Maria Rilke

Booooooks

could this selection BE any more random? behold, my reading material over the last two months. let's go!

How Animals Grieve
I am super interested in animal psychology, so once I read about this one on the NPR website, I knew I had to add it to my library queue. my love of elephants sparked this interest; they are one of the most emotionally/mentally evolved creatures on the planet. they have memories that last decades, they are very social and gregarious, they are capable of creating art (really) and yes, something happens to them when their fellow elephants die. as the author concludes, it's impossible to definitively prove that animals grieve. but she loads the book with anecdote after anecdote of animals and their dramatic behavior changes when a companion dies. elephants, dogs, cats, ducks, primates, dolphins... she has a story for each about an instance where a family member dies and the behavior that is displayed can only be described as grief. mothers refusing to abandon their stillborn babies, elephants circling & protecting the carcasses of their friends, cats lapsing into "depression" when a longtime companion fails to return from the vet. on and on. it reminds me a lot of Daphne Sheldrick's story of saving & rearing orphaned elephants, many of whom display classic PTSD symptoms from witnessing their family's slaughter.

Habibi
continuing my Introduction to Graphic Novels 101, I checked out Habibi, by the same guy who wrote Blankets. this book is bananas. the illustrations seriously left me speechless. so intricate, with beautiful interplay between Arabic calligraphy and traditional Middle Eastern patterns. I have a bad habit of breezing by illustrations within a book, but each page gave me pause, if nothing else just to attempt to calculate the time each one took. the story has so much going on, but at the center are 2 child slaves, and older girl and younger boy, who become their own little family amidst the tragedy and injustice each one encounters throughout their life. it's a wild ride, and pretty disturbing at times (lots of mature content like rape/abuse), but in the end it's a really beautiful and expertly crafted story. Here are a couple pages early in the book.

Queen of the Air
and now for something completely different! the true story of Leitzel, the most famous trapeze artist in the world. she was born in 1892 into the circus life and traveled Europe in many small struggling circuses until she made her big break with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus. she was a favorite among the crowds and male suitors, and lived a short but colorful life. it's an interesting biography that weaves her story into the larger picture of cricus history and early American history.

Persepolis
another awesome graphic novel that takes place in the Middle East. this one's about the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, told from the perspective of the author who was a little girl at the time. her parents were liberals and the revolution and ensuing war with Iraq affected many of their family members and friends. the illustrations are much more simple than Habibi but still evocative. I haven't read Part 2 yet, but it's on my list. here's an excerpt below.

Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies
after Chris Kluwe grabbed the attention of The Internet last year, it was inevitable that someone would offer him a book deal. he's intelligent, forthright, scathing, witty, and he has a LOT of ideas to share. and he doesn't really care what you think. I loved his Deadspin letter and subsequent blog posts for the Pioneer Press, I enjoy following him on Twitter (until the talk turns to gaming), so I figured I would see what he has to say in a long format. turns out, it's a collection of 2-5 page essays on... pretty much whatever he wants. lots of science-fiction-heavy rants about the future, a little football talk, a self-written eulogy, it's pretty much all over the place. I like that the publishers gave him free reign, even if a lot of it isn't my jam. it was a fun jaunt!

Banksy

love him or hate him, you have to admit some of his pieces are genius. these 2 pieces are new to me but my favorites from this slide show, and you can see a ton more on his website.