all that's past is prologue...

So, over coffee a few weeks back, my friend Bethany and I were talking about the vast array of things to see and do in the Twin Cities; especially in the winter, it's like our own version of art hygge. During that conversation, I admitted I had never actually been to any of the Walker's Out There performances, ever. So, being a good friend, she promptly invited me to come with her to one, since she had already had a pair of tickets for each. And I think I'm glad I waited, because this was the perfect first experience. I got to go to the Walker with Bethany, who knows that place like a second home and can share her comfort with me (I've been a little intimidated by that robot head ever since the renovation). I got to see tone of people in the lobby that I really like (bummer for no intermission and intermission-conversations). And most of all, I got to see an amazing performance, Germinal, as conceived by Halory Goerger and Antoine Defoort. Let's just say it was...

I have to admit to being a big fan of John Moe. I've liked him ever since he began hosting the (sadly departed) "Wits" on Minnesota Public Radio. He's got that kind of weird, off-kilter humor that makes me wonder "How does he even THINK like that?"  
I enjoyed his first book ("Dear Luke, We Need to Talk"), and that was before the big Star Wars resurgence. But I can tend to be a little defensive about Hillary, so was not sure I would be amused by this book. 
I'm glad I took the chance! Sure, some of the "email" thread topics were a little overdone (Who care about pantsuits? Oh, because it's fun to say.) But most of it was amusing and oddly humorous and the perfect thing to read after a long day of people taking themselves far too seriously. There's more info on the book  here .  Also,  I received this book from  Blogging for Books  for this review.

I came late to the whole adult coloring book craze. Much of the time, I would rather make something new than color in something else. However, I do admit to liking, in the past, decorating old black and white prints I got at thrift stores, and once I determined that this was basically a version of that, I was more intrigued. The trick was to find the right book. I got a nice Cities one recently, but I fell in love with this one when I saw it. It had Paris scenes — perfect to prepare for our Paris trip this summer! It has cats! Win for all. The first 16 pages were exactly what I had hoped. Cute cats, detailed pictures to color, it was great! Then many pages with cute cats and patterns. Not especially Parisian, but fun enough. And then less fun. Cats with yarn, ok. But 1¢ stamps? I thought we were in France. And some sailor cat... All in all, I would have preferred a smaller book with more pictures of cats doing Paris things. But maybe I just need more of a narrative than t...

Like everyone else I know — quite honestly, almost everyone on all of my social media streams — waking up to the news that David Bowie had died made this an unexpectedly raw, painful day. And I don't know that I have any words about it that anyone else hasn't already said. But I am throwing a few more words onto that magnificent funeral pyre, because god damn it, he deserves it. David Bowie was our youth. He was my youth. He was discovering the symmetry between music and magic and film and video and fashion and life. He was listening non-stop to the totally new take on pop that was Let's Dance before you dug deeper into his work and listened to everything else he ever recorded and finally settled for playing  Young Americans over and over and over again until it was burned into your soul. He was going to see Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence on an especially significant night. He was looking at the same things in very different ways. That doesn't make me any different ...

I love houses; I suppose you can't work in preservation without loving them. And Patrick has learned to love them too. Four years ago, we called our long-suffering realtor and asked to see a foreclosure house on Summit. It was a large home, with 3+ additional apartments, and if other things had been aligned differently, we would have bought it (it was listed at 750K, but we knew the bank would take 500K or under). But it got us thinking, especially since in the back of our minds we knew Patrick's mom or dad might be in need of a place to live. A few weeks later we brought our realtor to see another place we had found, another foreclosure, this one $7,200. It was a little 1880s farmhouse, and just like the Summit house, we could see the potential. And so, a few weeks later, after jumping through significant hoops with the bank, we bought it (for cash obviously). We started out strong on the project — with a new furnace, wiring, and plumbing. For a short period, we even ha...

And here's the new batch, for accountability if nothing else: 1)   Photos. Frame and display a bunch. Put together some photo books. Organize iPhoto. Get rid of frames that are too twee or that I will never use. 2)   Storage. Organize storage spaces around the house so I can find things and be happier with what we have. 3)   Client work – improve, not just maintain. Circle around to some past clients and make sure they are still doing well. Make a conscious decision to network and land some new clients. Dedicate some real professional development time. Shuffle off client things that no longer make sense. 4)   Exercise. The lack of it is getting stupid. 5)   Get our financial house in order. It’s not totally off the rails, but it could be much better. 6)   Have more fun! 7)   Talk less, smile more. Oh wait, that’s not it. And those others have for me, so they might as well be mine: 8)   Craft more with Beatrix (that’s hers for me...