Great ceilings of Minnesota

on the State of the Arts blog this morning, there was a post about the great ceilings of the world, which ended by asking what ceiling in MN would take the prize as best ceiling in the state. for me, it's a toss-up. we got married at Lakewood Memorial Chapel and its interior and dome ceiling are comprised of Italian mosaics, shipped here in 1909 with their own artisans to put the whole thing together. it's a smaller space but still breathtaking.

photo by Jesce Walz

This past weekend we traveled up to Grand Marais for our 2nd anniversary, and before we hit the road back to Minneapolis, we stopped at the Naniboujou Lodge for lunch. our only reason for going was actually to see the dining room with its awesome ceiling, but the food was surprisingly excellent, especially my wild rice burger.

photo by Matt

come to think of it, there was also a pretty great ceiling during our 1st anniversary trip to Wisconsin. Matt played a show with his friend/client Vicky Emerson at this amazing theatre called the Mabel Tainter. it's a tiny venue but makes up for its lack of space with straight-up grandeur.

photo by me

i'm sensing a theme here... i guess we'll have to find another awesome ceiling to visit for our 3rd anniversary next year! maybe this one?

happy friday

from here

love and marriage.

the first gay couple to wed in New York on Sunday. Phyllis and Connie are 77 and 85 and have been together for 23 years. full article and some sweet photos from the day.

Bonus- a surprise in this week's Modern Love!

so true.

source

finished but never done.

beautiful posters from Caroline Hadilaksono

the movies may be finished (until someone remakes them in 40 years) but the story will no doubt enchant people for who knows how long. i finally saw movie #7.2 last night... it wasn't the best HP movie, but it was a decent ending to the franchise. what it really did was remind me how much I loved the last book, how JK Rowling weaves everything from all the other books into such a rich conclusion, and the incredible life lessons she manages to impart through a fairy tale world.

for one, the idea that individuals are not wholely good or evil, we all have the opportunity and proclivity for both. it's the choices we make that lead us down a path of virtue & righteousness, or a path of deception & wrongdoing. there are main characters who, in the beginning, seem so obviously good or evil, but as time passes, we are allowed into either their darker or more benevolent side and suddenly the lines of hero vs. villian become quite blurry. someone you trusted implicitly now seems to have suspicious motivations. someone you hated from day one may just turn out to be your favorite character. such is real life, sometimes. make the effort to dig deep and you'll begin to discover someone's true nature.

secondly, the idea that all people are equal and equally deserving of basic rights and privileges. so many of her creatures' plights closely resemble real human rights struggles- apartheid, slavery, prejudice and discrimination. whether you are an enslaved house elf, a misunderstood magical creature, a displaced giant, or a destined-for-evil towhead, you are worthy of life, and of freedom.

(the other enjoyable part of seeing the movie last night- hearing the HP fans giggle at the Breaking Dawn trailer. it's gonna be so terrible, i can't wait.)

Your taste is why your work disappoints you.

What nobody tells people who are beginners- and I really wish someone had told this to me- is that all of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, and it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase. They quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this.

And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.

Ira Glass

GENIUS.

classic album covers redesigned with a Hogwarts twist.

the end of an era.

there is so much i could say about Harry Potter and the incredible world that JK Rowling created. i am a huge fan of the books (and movies) and believe they are wonderful stories that any child/adolescent/adult would be lucky to read and glean from. i get really frustrated when parents make fear-based decisions to keep the books from their kids. i totally understand waiting until they are at an age where they can grasp the complexity and subject matter, but to ban them indefinitely is just so sad to me. the plots include incredibly valuable morals and life lessons, not to mention the fact that Rowling really nailed the awkwardness & uncertainty of adolescence. i read these books as an adult, but i can imagine they would be quite comforting to anyone going through the growing-up process themselves.

i originally clicked on this link because, hello, Harry Potter-themed candy. but i love this 20-something's short homage to the stories that have shaped her for the better:

Over the last ten years, Harry Potter has taught me about life and growing up. Dumbledore lectured me on the significance of morality and empathy, as well as the importance of humanity. Harry Potter showed me the power and strength of sticking to your beliefs, especially in the face of adversity. Ron and Hermione taught me the sincere virtue in forgiveness. The characters showed me that every decision comes with consequence, good or bad. Perhaps this sounds silly but, after dozens of book readings and re-readings, I've noticed that I have unconsciously taken these lessons and subtly applied them to my own life.

As the release of the last movie approaches, it marks the end of an era for me. There will be no more Harry Potter books or movies. No midnight release dates to look forward to. The last movie, in some ways, marks the end of my childhood. After July 15th, I will slowly become an adult in my own eyes—the last ties to my childhood will have been cut.

JK Rowling, if you only knew the profound and positive effect you've had on my life. Like Harry with his lightning bolt scar, you, too, have left a permanent mark on me.

cheers for the Boy Who lived... now, Accio July 15. stat.

counting the minutes.

dinner tonight at Psycho Suzi's with out of town friends and a big plate of deep fried asparagus. come on 5 o'clock!

where the hell is Matt?

not my Matt.... this Matt. the one who travels all over the world, videotaping himself dancing badly in front of/on top of/beneath some of the world's most exciting locations. the videos are inexplicably moving, especially when locals join in.

this weekend he will actually be filming at the Sculpture Garden, and he's actively seeking participants! how fun would that be? maybe not a whole lot, as there are 3 hours slated to film what will become approximately 4 seconds of a video, but still. it would certainly be interesting. i hope my adopted city shows him some love.

News of the Weird- British edition

1. A human skull, found in David Attenborough's garden, turns out to be the missing head of a woman gruesomely murdered 130 years ago.

2. a minuscule water bug sets decibel records with his singing penis. yes. you read that correctly.

3. this should actually be in an American edition, but since the Guardian is reporting on it, i'm including it here: CIA pretends to vaccinate Pakistanis in order to hone in on Bin Laden.


and because it just seems to fit this post, my favorite David Attenborough narration.

3July

so, i guess it's a compliment when the cat you're foster parenting kills a baby bunny and plops it down on your kitchen floor...?

successful day

fought and won all our battles today- 2 dirty cars, 1 lost wedding ring, and 1 behemoth of a mulberry tree. rewarded with ice cream drumsticks and True Grit. i love Saturdays when my husband is home.

Psalm for Distribution

Lord,
on 8th Street
between 6th Avenue and Broadway
there are enough shoe stores
with enough shoes
to make me wonder
why there are shoeless people
on the earth

Lord,
you have to fire the Angel
in charge of distribution.


Jack Agueros

why can't i stop thinking about this?

RiversCuomo: I wonder if I'll die with my glasses on.