Up Coming events....

Looking forward to different activities makes life exciting, fresh and new. I am very excited to many of the activities in the next month that both Tracy and I will be attending.

Starting tonight we are doing to the Hotel Café Tour at The Fine Line Café tonight. It is featuring Dan Wilson, Ingrid Michaelson, Joshua Radin, Cary Brothers, and Meiko. I understand that the format will be that one musician will sing a few songs and then another will take the stage and do the same. It sounds like it will be a fantastic show, I am really looking forward to it.

In addition to tonight’s show we are also attending the CD release party for Tapes N’ Tapes at First Avenue on April 10th. Their sophomore album, Walk it off, is highly anticipated and I am excited to here it and see them again. Also at First Avenue on April 26th, Cloud Cult will be releasing their new album, "Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)". I am ready to see a great show full of visual stimulation.

On April 19th we are planning on attending the Current Fakebook® at the Fitzgerald Theater. Host Mary Lucia will be welcoming Public Enemy founder, writer and activist Chuck D to Joining them will be Slug from Atmosphere for conversation and a special cameo appearance by Brother Ali of the Rhymesayers Collective.

About a week later we plan on seeing the Zenon Dance Company perform at the Southern Theater. This will be a memorable show because a Zenon stand out, Christine Maginnis, will be doing her final performance as a member of the Zenon Dance Company. Both Tracy and I know her…cool!

Way off in the future on June 21st. We are going to Rock the Garden. This is going to be a great outdoor show. Singer-songwriter Andrew Bird and band top Canadian indie-rock supergroup The New Pornagraphers and the eco-conscious Twin Cities favorite Cloud Cult in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Opening the event is Bon Iver, an emerging soulful lo-fi folk solo artist from northwest Wisconsin who was one of the major hits of the South by Southwest Festival this month.

The biggest event taking place this month is Tracy’s birthday on April 12th.

March Morning.

“A March morning is as dull as he who walks in to it.” Aldo Leopold said in his book, A Sand County Almanac. This quote has haunted me for years. The reason being is my Dad would say that to me during my childhood when I would complain about the weather, even when it wasn’t March. It wasn’t until I got older until I completely understood what Leopold meant and why my Dad would say it.

No matter what Mother Nature throws at you, it is up to you to decide how you are going to respond to it. You might not be able to control the weather, but you can control your attitude.

The point of all this is, I have heard some people that I am in contact with complaining about the way that the spring is shaping up. I know the recent snow falls, below average temperatures, slippery roads, and chilly conditions have put a damper on spring.

But this is the northern Midwest, what do you expect? It was this way last year and I bet the year before that. If you don’t care for the weather here, then move. If it controls your mood that much, then find another location in the country that fits your needs and move there to live. If that isn’t an option, then change your perception of how you look at the weather. Think about what Leopold said and tap in to you’re wealth of knowledge to remember that the weather will too pass and it will be summer before you know it.

Back to Reality...

Back to reality….It has been a couple of days since I got back from Florida and yes reality has hit. Maybe it is the snow, the routine of things, or being back at home. But no matter how I look at it, it’s back to the old grind.

To look back on the last week, I can say with confidence that it has been a great break. I enjoyed a great vacation “book ended” with two fun events. It started off by watching the St. Patty’s day parade in downtown Saint Paul. This is always a great local event; I have seen several times and hope to continue to do in the future. It ended by going out to eat at Mesa and seeing Mike Doughty put on a great show at the First Avenue Saturday night.

In between these events, Tracy and I took off for Daytona Beach for a vacation. A little fun in the sun was exactly what I needed.
After spending a 6 days in Daytona here is what I discovered….the town wasn’t anything special. It appeared to be that every other store or restaurant was closed and trying to be sold. The people in the area we stayed at, were of all ages and seemed to have different purposes for being there. The food served at the area restaurants was the typical seafood menu.

The beach, which is 23 miles long and 500 feet wide is an active one. There are always people walking, running, biking, and playing on it, in addition to all types of vehicles driving on the make shift road. That being said about the beach it is enjoyable to be standing vertical then laying horizontal. Reason being…the wind coming off the Atlantic was always constant and chilly. To lay on the beach you are almost guaranteed to get sand in you eyes from the sand storms…

There wasn’t any marquee event that took place during the week, just the slow leisure lifestyle that occurs when vacationing to a beach. The daily routine consisted of running/walking, breakfast, relax ocean side, shower, walk to dinner, eat, walk back to villa, and sleep. Pretty consistent…pretty basic…very relaxing…..but it was perfect vacation.

Off to Daytona Beach...

While I am getting things packed up for our trip to Daytona Beach. I took some time downloading some tunes to my ipod and thought I would type up a quick entry before I (we) left tomorrow morning. We leave tomorrow at 10:00AM. I am really ready for the get away. It is a nice glimpse of what the summer will be like for me (or others in the educational field)....idle time to relax and enjoy the day doing what you enjoy doing.

I am most excited for the beach and ocean....warm sunshine, sand, water, waves....I can't wait.

Later....until next week.

Great Waters

“What a great meal,” I said to Tracy moments after finishing dinner at Great Waters Brewery in downtown Saint Paul. We started off by having an appetizer of pita bread, bean/hummus spread with some other veggies that were raw or pickled. For the main course we both opted for winged animals … I had the duck (with a maple syrup taste, yum.) and Tracy had chicken. Both meals were accompanied by rice pilaf and steamed veggies. To finish it off, I introduced Tracy to bread pudding. WOW…I could have eaten it all myself.

The meal, atmosphere, and wait staff was excellent. I can’t wait to go back again.

If any one is interested in some great visual movies check out Ohmifest at the Science Museum in Saint Paul.

Album...

I don’t have any new activities to report on, except for finally feeling better. It took me a little over a week to finally feel better. So a word of advice….Look out for the flu bug! It’s bite is a lot worse then it’s bark. Anyways…I did want to say something about two new albums, I recently got: Bon Iver and Mike Doughty.

First album:
Bon Iver debut release "For Emma, Forever Ago," a nine-song album, came together at a remote cabin in the woods of Northwestern Wisconsin.: This is a wonderful album. If you want to listen to a soft tempo, beautiful harmonics, and music you can feel with your heart. This is the album. Jeremy Vernon puts a lot of emotion in to the songs which creates an excellent blend of words and great texture to the music….beautifully executed!
Second album:
Mike Doughty’s new release “Golden Delicious.” This is a follow up to his 2005 album, Haughty Melodic. This is another great album…so it is easy to say, I really enjoy it. I have always been a fan of Soul Coughing and of M. Doughty’s other solo work. On this album he continues to create catchy songs, plays with words, and creates great guitar riffs accompanied with a great bass beat. When listening to “Golden Delicious,” I feel like being carefree, reckless, and doing anything that involves fun.