This summer started off with so much promise, with my son’s high school graduation and subsequent party. But things quickly went downhill from there. There have been many missteps, some on my part, but mostly factors out of our control. We had to move suddenly from our home of 4+ years due to an unabated […]
People
Sun-Stopping
We marked the Summer Solstice last week and it’s been on my mind. Meteorological Summer has begun in Minnesota, but this was a particularly oddball year without a Spring. I’ve lived here all my life but I’m still taken aback often by the weather extremes. And my friends who live elsewhere are downright alarmed by […]
Hothouse Flowers
When I woke up Friday morning I checked my weather app then dressed in multiple layers, like a good Minnesotan. And left for work in the dark with temperatures of -10 and windchill -25. Not so great for the body or soul. Same goes for watching extra bleak Black Mirror episodes in the dead of […]
Strange Girls Holiday Night Market
Seems like there are holiday markets popping up all over the place these days. And a lot of them are super rad. But none of them are quite like ours! The Strange Girls will be back for another Night Market at Modist Brewing in Minneapolis this Saturday, December 16th from 6pm – midnight. I didn’t […]
Emerging Adulthood
To quote Douglas Adams, “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” Thankfully we just squeaked in ahead of one. My son is a high school senior this school year. How that happened so quickly, I don’t know. But I do know I’ve always planned to take his senior […]
The Tyranny of Distance
Over the years more and more of my favorite people have dispersed, around the country and the globe. We still have family and friends in the Twin Cities area but so many have gone elsewhere. I’ve met plenty of new friends and colleagues who are from and live in other parts of the world. I’ve […]
Summer is Fleeting
This happens more and more with each passing year, but it felt like the fast forward button was being held down all summer. Ready or not school already resumed this week, which was bittersweet. This summer break saw me scrambling more than most. My son’s annual trip with his paternal grandparents fell apart at the […]
Not Forever
School’s Out…For Summer Today is my son’s last day of school. Not forever, and not even until Fall really. But every year I get the Alice Cooper song stuck in my head. I am still annoyed the Minneapolis Public Schools start each new school year the week before Labor Day. I would rather have my […]
Power of Music
Without Music Life Would Be a Mistake Winter in Minnesota makes me want to hibernate, and I generally want to hunker down after the chaos of the holidays. Recently I looked into getting a Seasonal Affective Disorder lamp (some prefer to call them “happy” lamps). But it turns out they may not be a good […]
Cliché, But True
They Grow Up So Fast Once upon a time we had the best neighbors in the world. The parents were great company and their adorable daughter was slightly older than my son. The two spent a lot of time playing together and it was great. But they moved away as their family grew and they […]