I went for a nice walk in Piedmont Park this evening after working out in the building's gym and was thinking how much I like this place so far so here are some things I like so far about Atlanta in no particular order. Keep in mind that this is from the perspective of somebody who's been in town approximately 10 days.
-It's so green. I thought Minneapolis was green and it really is, especially for the climate, but Atlanta has trees everywhere. You are on the middle of the freeway near downtown and can only see trees. This was unexpected because Minnesota usually ranks really high in park space but I haven't noticed Atlanta at the top of the list.
-Hills. Yes, these are both good and bad but I find a little terrain refreshing.
-Southern cooking. So far I've had sweet potato pancakes with pecans which were amazing and Chick-fil-A which was free yesterday for wearing a team shirt. Erika and I had Twins shirts on and thus were able to get free sandwiches for dinner. These same tshirts caused a discussion at the the diner in the morning regarding the 1991 World Series and the Kent Hrbek/Ron Gant episode. Funny.
-Piedmont Park and Chastain Park. Piedmont Park is very nice although small and located near Erika's apartment. Chastain Park is bigger but on the other side of town. When I look for my own place either area is definitely near the top of my list.
-Swings in the park. In addition to regular benches, there are swings at all the parks I've been at so far. By swings, I mean the big glider kind that you see on the front porch of the Walton's house. I've always been a fan of them.
-Sacred Heart. This is the Catholic church that I found. It's old and beautiful but casual and progressive. A great combination.
-Big Peach Running Company. A local running store that works hard to make sure the fit of shoes is right. My knees are still bad so I'm doing more walking than running but now I've got shoes that aren't falling apart.
-MLK memorial. This is one of the few touristy things I've done so far. The tomb of Dr, King and Coretta Scott King is especially impressive.
-Carter Center and Library. Shouldn't have this on the list as I still need to check it out but I've heard great things and hope to get there once it reopens after remodeling in October.
-Economy. Yes, the economy is bad everywhere but so far I've had more luck in the last week here than in the past several months in Minneapolis. I think that there is a more diverse set of industries so that helps. Minneapolis is strong but skewed towards some industries that I don't have experience or interest in.
Sorry. I know pictures would be nice and I'll get around to taking some of those soon. Maybe I'll get a few posted in the next few days...
Have a great evening!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
Commentary
It took me the better part of the week to catch up on all the Ted Kennedy footage but I think I've seen all of it now. Also yesterday I saw this column by a pastor who is politically active and some of what he was saying was pretty good in my opinion so I've pasted it here for your perusal if you're interested.
Faith is about Redemption: The Life of Ted Kennedy
by Jim Wallis
I have never really trusted those who are intolerant and condemning of other people’s shortcomings. It makes me suspect they are likely hiding their own. This weekend was full of the story of redemption for me, as the nation said its good-byes to Sen. Edward Kennedy.
I watched everything -- from the moving memorial service on Friday night to the amazing funeral Mass on Saturday, to the private burial that same evening, to much of the news coverage and comment on Sunday. The stories from Friday are worth listening to again, especially the touching tributes from Kennedy’s Republican adversaries who grew to respect and even love him, and the hilarious tales of sailing adventures. The Irish always say there should be lots of laughter at a good wake.
But it was the funeral on Saturday morning that most moved me. I don’t know what I was expecting -- likely more speeches -- but not a traditional Catholic funeral liturgy, complete with the Holy Eucharist. Of course, what else should I have expected from such a Boston Catholic family? Here was the divine irony. At the funeral of the nation’s most liberal political leader of the last half-century, a watching nation was treated to a full Catholic Mass. And even more, the readings are what most struck me. When was the last time the whole country got to hear the 25th chapter of Matthew, with Jesus imploring us, “I was hungry ... I was thirsty ... I was a stranger ... I was naked ... I was sick ... I was in prison ... and you came to me.” And then the song of Mary: "He will put down the mighty from their thrones, exalt those of low degree, fill the hungry with good things, and send the rich empty away.” Ted and Vicki Kennedy carefully chose those readings for this solemn and special occasion, and the whole nation listened to them.
Then I watched the greatest collection of national political leaders in decades from both political parties -- 60 senators, countless congressional members, and four presidents -- hug each other in the passing of the peace. Then they came forward to receive the body and blood of Christ, as cellist Yo-Yo Ma accompanied Placido Domingo in Cesar Franck’s "Panis Angelicus." I started changing the channels then, just to see who was watching. CNN, MSNBC, FOX!, NBC, CBS, ABC, and FOX again! were all tuned in to the Mass. Who could have brought about such a thing -- a man with serious personal flaws who had experienced great pain in his life, who had been the greatest political lightning rod of his time, and who had, nonetheless, been the most successful senator both in forging a list of accomplishments like no other, and in bringing people together from both sides of the political aisle.
The Kennedy children's prayers followed for grandpa, Uncle Teddy, or just “Teddy” -- articulately summing up his life’s work and mission, and calling us to the same vision and values. As a father, the most emotional moment for me, and for many others, was when Ted Kennedy Jr. recounted a story about his dad helping him up a very icy hill with a sled, just after the 12-year-old's leg was amputated. “I know you can do it,” he tearfully recounted his father’s words. "There is nothing that you can't do. We're going to climb that hill together, even if it takes us all day.” I would ask each of you to read that very touching story right now, even before reading the rest of this piece.
Ted Kennedy’s now-grown son concluded, “He was not perfect; far from it. But my father believed in redemption and he never surrendered. Never stopped trying to right wrongs, be they the results of his own failings or of ours.” Doris Kearns Goodwin quoted Hemingway in saying “Everyone is broken by life. But afterward, many are strong in the broken places.” And she said of Ted Kennedy, “he had absorbed his broken places.” A letter was read at the private burial service at the end of the day, back at Arlington, that the dying Ted Kennedy had asked President Obama to give to Pope Benedict when the president visited the Holy Father earlier this spring. In the letter, Kennedy humbly asked the pope to pray for him as his health was declining and he was preparing for “the next passage of life.” It read, “I know that I have been an imperfect human being, but with the help of my faith I have tried to right my path.”
President Obama’s remarks at the funeral were almost pastoral in their tone, and one could feel the emotion he was feeling for himself and the whole country as he spoke of the loss we had suffered and the qualities of the senator, the father, the husband, the family rock, the colleague, and the friend that we would all now so sorely miss. He spoke both of the long list of public accomplishments that will likely gain Ted Kennedy recognition as the greatest senator in American history, but also, again, of the human weaknesses of the man, and how his beloved wife, Vicki, had likely “saved him,” something that everyone, including Ted Kennedy, seemed to agree with.
Obama was almost nostalgic for an earlier time in Washington, where adversaries still saw each other as patriots and political enemies still respected and even liked each other as friends. Sen. John Kerry remarked that although another Bostonian, former House Speaker Tip O’Neill, famously said that “all politics is local,” Ted Kennedy taught us that “all politics are personal.” Story after story came from people Kennedy had touched in just that way -- by doing so many countless things so very personally for them.
And from this weekend, I received a final insight: that the roles of being a prophetic advocate who stands passionately for social justice, and the vocation of being a bridge-builder and convener who brings diverse people together are not, perhaps, so mutually exclusive after all. Most people tell me they are, but feeling called to both, I have often struggled to reconcile them. But here was Ted Kennedy, the fiercest fighter for the poor and vulnerable in the U.S. Senate over the last half-century and yet when fellow senators on both sides of the aisle were asked whom they most wanted to work with, it was always him. Why? Because they liked him, he never let his sometimes profound disagreements keep him from caring personally about them. He was a man of his word, and he was lots of fun!
As many remarked over the course of this amazing weekend, Ted Kennedy was the classic American success story who, though sorely tested by adversity and plagued by his own moral shortcomings, found a way to overcome his personal flaws and pain to achieve extraordinary things. But Kennedy was even more than that. His life was also the classic Christian story of redemption, of being saved from sin by faith, grace, and love, and by being faithful to the commands of Christ: “As you have done to the least of these, you have done to me.” As the casket of Edward Moore Kennedy climbed up the hill toward his final resting place next to the eternal flame at Arlington National Cemetery, one could almost hear those words of Jesus, “Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was hungry and you gave me food.” Rest in peace, ye flawed, faithful, and redeemed warrior for the kingdom of God.
Faith is about Redemption: The Life of Ted Kennedy
by Jim Wallis
I have never really trusted those who are intolerant and condemning of other people’s shortcomings. It makes me suspect they are likely hiding their own. This weekend was full of the story of redemption for me, as the nation said its good-byes to Sen. Edward Kennedy.
I watched everything -- from the moving memorial service on Friday night to the amazing funeral Mass on Saturday, to the private burial that same evening, to much of the news coverage and comment on Sunday. The stories from Friday are worth listening to again, especially the touching tributes from Kennedy’s Republican adversaries who grew to respect and even love him, and the hilarious tales of sailing adventures. The Irish always say there should be lots of laughter at a good wake.
But it was the funeral on Saturday morning that most moved me. I don’t know what I was expecting -- likely more speeches -- but not a traditional Catholic funeral liturgy, complete with the Holy Eucharist. Of course, what else should I have expected from such a Boston Catholic family? Here was the divine irony. At the funeral of the nation’s most liberal political leader of the last half-century, a watching nation was treated to a full Catholic Mass. And even more, the readings are what most struck me. When was the last time the whole country got to hear the 25th chapter of Matthew, with Jesus imploring us, “I was hungry ... I was thirsty ... I was a stranger ... I was naked ... I was sick ... I was in prison ... and you came to me.” And then the song of Mary: "He will put down the mighty from their thrones, exalt those of low degree, fill the hungry with good things, and send the rich empty away.” Ted and Vicki Kennedy carefully chose those readings for this solemn and special occasion, and the whole nation listened to them.
Then I watched the greatest collection of national political leaders in decades from both political parties -- 60 senators, countless congressional members, and four presidents -- hug each other in the passing of the peace. Then they came forward to receive the body and blood of Christ, as cellist Yo-Yo Ma accompanied Placido Domingo in Cesar Franck’s "Panis Angelicus." I started changing the channels then, just to see who was watching. CNN, MSNBC, FOX!, NBC, CBS, ABC, and FOX again! were all tuned in to the Mass. Who could have brought about such a thing -- a man with serious personal flaws who had experienced great pain in his life, who had been the greatest political lightning rod of his time, and who had, nonetheless, been the most successful senator both in forging a list of accomplishments like no other, and in bringing people together from both sides of the political aisle.
The Kennedy children's prayers followed for grandpa, Uncle Teddy, or just “Teddy” -- articulately summing up his life’s work and mission, and calling us to the same vision and values. As a father, the most emotional moment for me, and for many others, was when Ted Kennedy Jr. recounted a story about his dad helping him up a very icy hill with a sled, just after the 12-year-old's leg was amputated. “I know you can do it,” he tearfully recounted his father’s words. "There is nothing that you can't do. We're going to climb that hill together, even if it takes us all day.” I would ask each of you to read that very touching story right now, even before reading the rest of this piece.
Ted Kennedy’s now-grown son concluded, “He was not perfect; far from it. But my father believed in redemption and he never surrendered. Never stopped trying to right wrongs, be they the results of his own failings or of ours.” Doris Kearns Goodwin quoted Hemingway in saying “Everyone is broken by life. But afterward, many are strong in the broken places.” And she said of Ted Kennedy, “he had absorbed his broken places.” A letter was read at the private burial service at the end of the day, back at Arlington, that the dying Ted Kennedy had asked President Obama to give to Pope Benedict when the president visited the Holy Father earlier this spring. In the letter, Kennedy humbly asked the pope to pray for him as his health was declining and he was preparing for “the next passage of life.” It read, “I know that I have been an imperfect human being, but with the help of my faith I have tried to right my path.”
President Obama’s remarks at the funeral were almost pastoral in their tone, and one could feel the emotion he was feeling for himself and the whole country as he spoke of the loss we had suffered and the qualities of the senator, the father, the husband, the family rock, the colleague, and the friend that we would all now so sorely miss. He spoke both of the long list of public accomplishments that will likely gain Ted Kennedy recognition as the greatest senator in American history, but also, again, of the human weaknesses of the man, and how his beloved wife, Vicki, had likely “saved him,” something that everyone, including Ted Kennedy, seemed to agree with.
Obama was almost nostalgic for an earlier time in Washington, where adversaries still saw each other as patriots and political enemies still respected and even liked each other as friends. Sen. John Kerry remarked that although another Bostonian, former House Speaker Tip O’Neill, famously said that “all politics is local,” Ted Kennedy taught us that “all politics are personal.” Story after story came from people Kennedy had touched in just that way -- by doing so many countless things so very personally for them.
And from this weekend, I received a final insight: that the roles of being a prophetic advocate who stands passionately for social justice, and the vocation of being a bridge-builder and convener who brings diverse people together are not, perhaps, so mutually exclusive after all. Most people tell me they are, but feeling called to both, I have often struggled to reconcile them. But here was Ted Kennedy, the fiercest fighter for the poor and vulnerable in the U.S. Senate over the last half-century and yet when fellow senators on both sides of the aisle were asked whom they most wanted to work with, it was always him. Why? Because they liked him, he never let his sometimes profound disagreements keep him from caring personally about them. He was a man of his word, and he was lots of fun!
As many remarked over the course of this amazing weekend, Ted Kennedy was the classic American success story who, though sorely tested by adversity and plagued by his own moral shortcomings, found a way to overcome his personal flaws and pain to achieve extraordinary things. But Kennedy was even more than that. His life was also the classic Christian story of redemption, of being saved from sin by faith, grace, and love, and by being faithful to the commands of Christ: “As you have done to the least of these, you have done to me.” As the casket of Edward Moore Kennedy climbed up the hill toward his final resting place next to the eternal flame at Arlington National Cemetery, one could almost hear those words of Jesus, “Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was hungry and you gave me food.” Rest in peace, ye flawed, faithful, and redeemed warrior for the kingdom of God.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Video
This is quite old now but I know a couple of people haven't seen it so I'm posting it here to make it easy for you. Very hilarious.
Atlanta
I made it to Atlanta. After a really long trip, Erika and I finally arrived at her place at 5 am. Uff da... She wasn't able to get to Minneapolis on Friday so she flew in Saturday am and after a quick stop at her favorite coffee shop we took off around 9 am. We made stops in Wisconsin Dells and had Culver's for lunch as well as KFC in Kentucky for dinner. Fast food but in their home locations at least. After about a 10 minute nap in Tennessee we did the last few hours. We did end up parked on 75 at one point because of an accident but other than that it went pretty smoothly.
So far I haven't done a ton. On Sunday I went to church at Sacred Heart which is the oldest Catholic church in Atlanta and I liked it. They are downtown and very committed to social justice and serving the city. I was hoping for a bit more diversity than I saw but I think it's better than a lot of churches. Sunday morning is the most segregated time in America according to a multiracial couple I know down here and I tend to agree. Very unfortunate.
Last night I went to a sports bar with another friend from Minnesota who moved down here a few weeks ago and saw part of the Vikings game. Not that I was keen on seeing the Vikings but it was a nice casual hangout and a good sandwich. Tonight it's another restaurant with Erika and another friend from Minnesota as it's restaurant week so nice places have really good deals.
So far I haven't done a ton. On Sunday I went to church at Sacred Heart which is the oldest Catholic church in Atlanta and I liked it. They are downtown and very committed to social justice and serving the city. I was hoping for a bit more diversity than I saw but I think it's better than a lot of churches. Sunday morning is the most segregated time in America according to a multiracial couple I know down here and I tend to agree. Very unfortunate.
Last night I went to a sports bar with another friend from Minnesota who moved down here a few weeks ago and saw part of the Vikings game. Not that I was keen on seeing the Vikings but it was a nice casual hangout and a good sandwich. Tonight it's another restaurant with Erika and another friend from Minnesota as it's restaurant week so nice places have really good deals.
Friday, August 28, 2009
I'm homeless!
I moved out of my apartment today. I gave the keys to the landlord at 1 and I don't have anything going on until I met some friends for happy hour at 5 so it's coffee shop time. I'm at the Riverview Cafe which is two blocks from my old apartment and then happy hour is at the Riverview Wine Bar next door so I won't be moving much today.
I have some stuff in storage at my mom's but other than that I have everything in my car and that is one full car. A cousin mentioned that her sister (I guess that would be a cousin too... :) had used the Space Bag (As Seen on TV) so I picked up a few. They are a bit spendy but they are pretty worth it. They vacuum the air out of the bag so you have one dense package that is more compact. I have one bag that has two pillows, a quilt, a full set of sheets and two jackets and it takes up a little more space than one pillow. Not bad.
My friend and new roommate Erika was supposed to fly up today and meet us for happy hour but the world of an airline employee is not confirmed so she wasn't able to make the flight today. She's going to get on the first flight tomorrow and get in around 8 am. I pick her up at the airport, go to Isles Buns and Coffee which is her favorite coffee shop and then we leave town. Talk about an awesome friend. Flying in purely to take a 17 hour road trip. Not to mention letting me stay with her while I look for work in Atlanta. She'd still like to get it done all in day but we'll see. We may spend the night in Kentucky.
I went to my last Twins game on Monday night with my cousin Megan. They won 2-1 so not a bad way to end my dome experience. I was hoping to see Johan Santana pitch for the Mets when they are in Atlanta but no luck with that as he's out for the season with elbow surgery. I'm still hoping to get to a Braves game but I don't care about many NL teams so I won't be picky.
As long as I'm killing all this time at the shop I might as well relate a fun Ted Kennedy/Eunice Shriver story in their memory. I was fortunate to be an intern on his 1994 Senate Fundraising Committee and had the opportunity to go to a few houseparties. On St. Patrick's Day, one of the Lawford women, I can't remember if it was Sydney or Robin, hosted a party and Ted spoke. It was a small gathering so no sound system and it was St. Patrick's Day so there were some Irish jokes mostly making fun of himself. Eunice was standing next to me and couldn't hear the punch lines a few times so she asked me to repeat them. I immediately caught a case of poor hearing myself and apologized for not being able to hear because if Ted wanted to tell them that was one thing but I wasn't about to repeat them to Eunice.
My facebook status the day after Ted died was a repeat from an email that went around saying "In lieu of flowers, pass health care reform." Several people liked it but it also caused a bit of a debate between two others. I didn't get into an argument over it mostly because I remembered Ted's tendency to forgive and forget. He was pretty remarkable with close friendships across the aisle. In fact, the only two times I saw the entire Senate I noticed him and Bob Dole chatting and laughing. To be fair, that's also a testament to Bob Dole and another time when the world was less partisan and saw the work of the Senate as a process rather than a place to create sound bites.
See how wordy I can be when there isn't a TV in front of me :) I haven't seen TV all week as I sold mine and that's been tough. Thank goodness for the internet. It reminds me of when Princess Diana died and I had just moved so no cable then either. At least now the internet is much more robust than in 1997.
I'm going to look up the route for tomorrow! I know in general it's Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and finally Georgia. Unfortunately that's only one new state to cross of my list. Actually two I guess since I've never been to Georgia but I'm moving there tomorrow so that one gets double crossed, It's actually only the second state I'll have lived in since D.C. and Japan aren't states. Interesting... By the way. for anybody that is worried about me living in a Red state... I'll be in a really Blue district and I'm really excited to have John Lewis as my Congressman. A very important figure in civil rights history even if he did beat my old professor for the job.
I have some stuff in storage at my mom's but other than that I have everything in my car and that is one full car. A cousin mentioned that her sister (I guess that would be a cousin too... :) had used the Space Bag (As Seen on TV) so I picked up a few. They are a bit spendy but they are pretty worth it. They vacuum the air out of the bag so you have one dense package that is more compact. I have one bag that has two pillows, a quilt, a full set of sheets and two jackets and it takes up a little more space than one pillow. Not bad.
My friend and new roommate Erika was supposed to fly up today and meet us for happy hour but the world of an airline employee is not confirmed so she wasn't able to make the flight today. She's going to get on the first flight tomorrow and get in around 8 am. I pick her up at the airport, go to Isles Buns and Coffee which is her favorite coffee shop and then we leave town. Talk about an awesome friend. Flying in purely to take a 17 hour road trip. Not to mention letting me stay with her while I look for work in Atlanta. She'd still like to get it done all in day but we'll see. We may spend the night in Kentucky.
I went to my last Twins game on Monday night with my cousin Megan. They won 2-1 so not a bad way to end my dome experience. I was hoping to see Johan Santana pitch for the Mets when they are in Atlanta but no luck with that as he's out for the season with elbow surgery. I'm still hoping to get to a Braves game but I don't care about many NL teams so I won't be picky.
As long as I'm killing all this time at the shop I might as well relate a fun Ted Kennedy/Eunice Shriver story in their memory. I was fortunate to be an intern on his 1994 Senate Fundraising Committee and had the opportunity to go to a few houseparties. On St. Patrick's Day, one of the Lawford women, I can't remember if it was Sydney or Robin, hosted a party and Ted spoke. It was a small gathering so no sound system and it was St. Patrick's Day so there were some Irish jokes mostly making fun of himself. Eunice was standing next to me and couldn't hear the punch lines a few times so she asked me to repeat them. I immediately caught a case of poor hearing myself and apologized for not being able to hear because if Ted wanted to tell them that was one thing but I wasn't about to repeat them to Eunice.
My facebook status the day after Ted died was a repeat from an email that went around saying "In lieu of flowers, pass health care reform." Several people liked it but it also caused a bit of a debate between two others. I didn't get into an argument over it mostly because I remembered Ted's tendency to forgive and forget. He was pretty remarkable with close friendships across the aisle. In fact, the only two times I saw the entire Senate I noticed him and Bob Dole chatting and laughing. To be fair, that's also a testament to Bob Dole and another time when the world was less partisan and saw the work of the Senate as a process rather than a place to create sound bites.
See how wordy I can be when there isn't a TV in front of me :) I haven't seen TV all week as I sold mine and that's been tough. Thank goodness for the internet. It reminds me of when Princess Diana died and I had just moved so no cable then either. At least now the internet is much more robust than in 1997.
I'm going to look up the route for tomorrow! I know in general it's Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and finally Georgia. Unfortunately that's only one new state to cross of my list. Actually two I guess since I've never been to Georgia but I'm moving there tomorrow so that one gets double crossed, It's actually only the second state I'll have lived in since D.C. and Japan aren't states. Interesting... By the way. for anybody that is worried about me living in a Red state... I'll be in a really Blue district and I'm really excited to have John Lewis as my Congressman. A very important figure in civil rights history even if he did beat my old professor for the job.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
A Long Break
Wow, it's been a long time. The summer has kind of disappeared on me. Not really any news to report but I promise I'll get better about posting stuff once I move. That's right, I'm moving to Atlanta at the end of the month. I spent quite a bit of time in Bemidji this summer and will again for the next few weeks and then I'll be driving to ATL with my friend Erika at the end of the month so I can look for work there while I stay with her. Pretty awesome friend, huh?
I notice that I last posted the day before I left for Bemidji a few trips ago. It also happened to be the day before Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson died. Very crazy and sad. I was a big fan and even saw him perform live twice in 1993 for some Clinton inauguration festivities. He was definitely one of the greatest entertainers of all time and the sort of celebrity that we will never see again. With the rise of the internet and so many channels, it is impossible for an entertainer to reach the same proportion of the public that they once could. It's similar to the way that Walter Cronkite was known to so many television viewers but there is no news personality that has the same kind of connection with viewers today due to so many sources of news.
Sorry about the lame postings and lack of them but I promise I'll have lots more when I get to explore Atlanta. I already have plans to run a 5k in October and see a Braves game before the end of the season. They are playing the Mets in September and we're hoping that Santana will pitch and we can cheer for the good New York team.
I notice that I last posted the day before I left for Bemidji a few trips ago. It also happened to be the day before Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson died. Very crazy and sad. I was a big fan and even saw him perform live twice in 1993 for some Clinton inauguration festivities. He was definitely one of the greatest entertainers of all time and the sort of celebrity that we will never see again. With the rise of the internet and so many channels, it is impossible for an entertainer to reach the same proportion of the public that they once could. It's similar to the way that Walter Cronkite was known to so many television viewers but there is no news personality that has the same kind of connection with viewers today due to so many sources of news.
Sorry about the lame postings and lack of them but I promise I'll have lots more when I get to explore Atlanta. I already have plans to run a 5k in October and see a Braves game before the end of the season. They are playing the Mets in September and we're hoping that Santana will pitch and we can cheer for the good New York team.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Off to Bemidji
Oy, it's been a while. Oops. Nothing exciting to report anyway although here are some pics I've taken recently. The first are some taken from the Guthrie when I impersonated a tourist with my friend Margaux who was visiting from DC. The pic of the bridges shows the new 35W bridge although it's been open about 9 months now I believe.
The first pic is the top of the handquilted sampler I'm doing. I still need to lay it out with the batting so I can actually quilt it which will take quite a while. The second quilt is the baby project I did for a friend of mine. That one was a lot quicker because I do the cheater method of knotting it rather than actually quilting it. The fabric is all from Crafty Planet in NE Mpls which is a great store. I've got some more fabric from there for my next project and I've got two other tops pretty much done that I need to lay out and knot sometime soon. One is another baby project but the second one is 64x64, my first big project.
Since I'm still feeling the effects of this economy (am unemployed) I've decided to spend all of next week in Bemidji. It's a long time for me in a small town so we'll see how that goes. I actually plan on being there the next three weekends in a row which is a bit daunting. This weekend is my grandma's 80th birthday party, the following weekend is the 4th and the weekend after that is a cousin's wedding. Too much Bemidji...
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