all that's past is prologue...

Not meaning to flake out on you, my burgeoning readership. Just not much to report here. I have the most amazing baby in the world, but things about caring for her — ongoing daycare issues, the insurance, her abysmal sleep patterns, not having much time to get work done or any time for me or for Patrick and me — are hard. The horrible atmosphere for non-profits right now is not helping. So sorry if I have not been there for you, or been at your opening, or returned your call, but I am trying, really.

Come see our performers! We'll be performing for FREE (plus free food and soda) this Friday, October 10 for the Art Crawl from about 6-9pm. Stop by and see us on the 2F of the Northern Warehouse! Or come to ROUGH CUTS next Monday (at the same studio) or Tuesday at the Ritz in NE Minneapolis. We'll be doing the full version of "Alice Unwrapped," a lovely new piece, plus some guest artists from New York. Only $5, plus free cookies and milk. 7:30 both nights. I would love to see you at one or both!

Thanks to Patrick and Michael, my new website is up! Check it out!

It is a gorgeous fall day here, one of those days that really seems like a Boston fall. What it's doing in Minnesota I don't know, but I am not complaining. We went to the farmer's market and got a ton of lovely vegetables to make baby food and to do a curry for our friends Elaine and David later this week (they do dog care while we are gone and totally deserve it). Then we saw a sign for an "Obama Bake Sale" at Nina's, so had to hit that. Ended with a stop at Great Harvest for bread so we could have the quintessential fall lunch — grilled cheese, apples, and bake sale goodness (in this case, ginger and chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips. Yes, I know, very Obama-esque. I don't even want to know what kind of cookies Sarah Palin eats — Chips Ahoy maybe?) So win another one for think global but eat local.

Is really impossible when your daughter only weighs 13 pounds. The majority of the time, when she wakes up at night, she is hungry, so if we don't feed her, it's actually Sleep Starving. Of course, then there are the times that she just wants to play, and even when you bring her into bed to try to cuddle her and get her sleepy, she just blows raspberries. Like last night. I don't know what the answer is, but I do know that we need more sleep.

We have had some really incredible meals this week. First, we had great pub-type food at The Blue Door , which just opened at Selby and Fairview. $2 pints during Happy Hour, great fries with sea salt, and a mass of "Juicy Lucy" burgers. Patrick declared the bacon one he had one of the best burgers he had ever eaten, and I was happy with the "build your own" chicken sandwich. I'd meet you here anytime! Then Tuesday we met my dad and Loanne at The Duplex , which is another favorite. For a chef-driven restaurant with a sweet atmosphere and great prices, this place can't be beat! Plus, Monday and Tuesday are half-price wine nights. They are baby friendly, and I think in this economy could really use some extra business. Another place I would meet you anytime! But the piece de resistance this week was Bank last night for Patrick's birthday. We sat at the Chef's Teller Counter, where, rather than ordering from the menu, the chef asks you a little