Edo Woman

It's nearly December and that means two things. The first is that I better get some Christmas shopping started and the second is that I start to crave a trip to anywhere sunny and warm. I can get a direct flight to Phoenix or Fort Meyers and be there in less than 4 hours. Hop on the 54 bus from downtown and I can be at the airport in 20 minutes. But yesterday was sunny in the Twin Cities so I talk myself out of that idea and decide on local travel instead...across the river to the other city and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. I had seen the advertisement for the Edo Pop exhibit on one of the bus shelters in downtown but didn't think I would be interested in it. I learned that Edo is the former name for Tokyo. The majority of the MIA is free but there is usually a charge for special exhibits like the Edo Pop. I never got further than the first floor and spent most of that time in the Bonjour Japon: A Parisian Love Affair with Japanese Art exhibit. Did you know that if the museum owns the art then you can take a photo of it (without flash of course)? I loved the Parisian exhibit so I think I'll be back to the MIA to see the Edo Pop exhibit too but I'll do that on December 11th when the special exhibits are free. Lunch....you could eat at the museum, but Eat Street otherwise known as Nicollet Avenue is blocks away. I stood outside Lu's Vietnamese sandwich shop pondering the photos when Lu opened the door for me and urged me inside. I had the mock duck sandwich and it was tasty. I tried a can of penywort pop. Unfortunately it tasted like something scrapped off the side of a fish tank mixed with a little sugar. I asked the owner if it had some kind of health benefits. Who would drink it otherwise. He thought it was good to cure a bloody nose and maybe a cold. I had neither when I woke up this morning. So I've temporarily solved my need for travel. I better start thinking about that Christmas shopping.

Downtown News

I don't subscribe to a local newspaper. Once in awhile I will pick up the Pioneer Press if I'm walking around downtown. I guess I don't get my news from any one source any more. Sometimes I'll get my news from the local TV broadcast but that can be frustrating because I can't sit through all of the advertising and most of the news shows advertise during the show about what they will tell you later. Yesterday in one advertisement for the news at 10pm with Frank Vascellero (on WCCO) they announced that he will talk about how he lost 20lbs in a month. Although I applaud him for his diet, that's not really news...should news people show news stories about themselves? I think we all know how to diet even though we may not do it....eat less, eat better, exercise more. This morning I went to the Internet version of the Pioneer Press. I learned that there was a gas leak several blocks from where I live but it has been fixed. Good to know. Also they found the guy that stabbed someone over at the Cherokee Tavern. Good news. That's just over the high bridge and up the hill a 1/2 mile. They should also have mentioned that this is a nice place and don't be afraid to go. They make a nice chicken pot pie and have a great happy hour. But skip the chicken pot pie unless you plan on walking there and back because it is definitely not on your diet. I also read about the 3 million dollars that the city council found laying around under the so-called sofa cushions. The funds came from from unused Star grant funds promised for development projects that never got off the ground. So really its not missing cash but rather checks that were never sent out because the folks who wanted the money decided that they didn't need it after all. That's simplifying the thing of course and the city should review the status of grant funds annually. Now they just need to make an accounting adjustment and open up those funds to other groups that can use them. What is interesting to me in this story is the negative viewer comments shouting out fraud and mismanagement. At least with a story on the Internet we get to find out what other readers think.

Thanks

Thanks for reading my blog. Looking back I see I started this thing a year ago on September 26th of 2010. I usually try to enter something once a week but I don't always make my made-up deadline. What happened in October??? Not a single entry. My Mother noticed. Well, I could offer several excuses. Maybe I wasn't feeling that great....allergies flaring up....but I don't usually have allergies this time of year. I am convinced that downtown has a cone of pollution hanging over it right now from all the digging that has been going on. Maybe I didn't write anything in October because I didn't go anywhere or see anything interesting. Well, that's not exactly true either. I saw the zombies in Mears Park on October 8th. Unfortunately I tossed out my zombie bride outfit about 8 years ago so I was only an observer and therefore couldn't be counted toward the attempt to set the Guinness world record. The park was full but did they have the 8,000 that they were hoping for? I haven't heard the verdict on that one. I attended Sample Night Live at the History Theater on October 5th. I could have written about that. The first Wednesday of the month they host 10 to 12 performers who each get about 15 minutes to perform. It is very much like an old fashion variety show so if you don't like the jazz singer you might like the poetry slam performance or the improvisational comedy act. My favorite act last month was a comedian named Linda Aarons. I enjoyed hearing her talk about nothing more than her own name for a solid two minutes. They give out prizes too. Last month I came home with one free Flamenco dance lesson. I went to Plug-In St Paul on the evening of October 20th at the Crowne Plaza too. I certainly could have written about that. Why weren't there more people there??? It should have been packed. It was held at the top of the hotel overlooking the river in the old carousel dining room which is now only open for events. It still has the revolving platform and the view at sunset was spectacular....free hors d'oeuvres too.....come on people. The real reason I went was to hear about "ranked voting" which we will use to elect our next city council members next Tuesday. Hope we have better voter turn out than the Plug-In St Paul event. Well, I feel better now that I have at least re-capped October and look forward to whatever November will bring to downtown living.