Thursday was an excellent day for me, on a personal level, though it was chock full of reminders…of the impermanence of all things. In the afternoon there was a devastating fire in the Lynnhurst neighborhood of Minneapolis, destroying a corner that had been home to several popular, locally-owned businesses. Including the Blackbird, where a friend of mine had been a server. And it burned down on her birthday. Incredibly sad.
Also heard the news that day that an area of downtown St. Paul near my home will likely be flooding this Spring, for the first time since 2001. Including Harriet Island, a park we enjoy walking to and one that is home to the annual Taste of Minnesota 4th of July event. Thankfully our house is on higher ground and the High Bridge will take us right up and over the flood zone. But since the last flood in 2001 a great deal of housing - in the form of apartment complexes and condos - has been built directly on the flood plain. When I saw it all under construction I recall thinking that, in a few years, it would all be underwater, Atlantis-style. I guess we’ll see how this plays out after the thaw.
Later that day we had a rushed-yet-lovely Punch pizza dinner with my son and a friend. Then I dropped the boy off with my ex so I could meet yet another friend at the Bedlam Theater. We had time to catch up a bit before the show started. And what a show it was! I highly recommend you get out to see Jennifer Jajeh’s one-woman tragicomedy I Heart Hamas: And Other Things I’m Afraid to Tell You. The show is funny and smart and sincere and gut-wrenching, particularly when she recalls her time in Ramallah during the second Intifada, with its “clash points” and checkpoints. After her Minneapolis dates she’ll be moving along to do some shows in Chicago and LA.
Five entirely random oddball things just because:
- An amazing photoset: Animal Antics. And Koalas aren’t always so cuddly. The little critters sound like they’re possessed when fighting! Seriously, those noises are downright demonic.
- From babies in buckets with laser eyes to OMG LASER GUNS PEW PEW PEW (the secret weapon is the squirrel)
- Brit baritone actor and director Lionel Jeffries dies, aged 83. Here he is singing Posh from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
- The Big Freeze for Action Man. And another “action man” Dolph Lundgren doing it up with the Swedes. So weird.
- For Love Of Do-Good Vampires: A Bloody Book List (I have read most of these, but a couple are to me, and some of my favorites didn’t make the list - harrumph!)
It’s been a lazy Saturday but that’s just what I needed. Last night we had good times at Clockwork’s game night. Tonight we’ll be socializing some more. But this morning I woke up with my brain full of story ideas and tidbits for the werewolf cop novel. I hope to flesh them out some more before I eventually get my ass in gear today. Yeah, that’s why I’m still in my PJs at 2pm. Uh huh.
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