Salmon and the City

I'm such a bad, bad blogger these days. I'm sorry, duckies.

I would love nothing more than to show you a delicious menu of fun in the sun photos from my NYC trip last weekend, but - boo - I left my camera on a rooftop in Brooklyn. Sad, and strange, but true. Hopefully, it's en route back to momma, and soon I should have some photos from Mel's camera as well.

We had a totally kickass trip: some sightseeing, some shopping, some hanging out with buddies, some art, some literary and live music action and even a little bit of burlesque. But really, it was all about the food and the drink. I'm sure, between Mel and I, we drank ten bottles of chardonnay and ate twenty pounds of seafood. Fluke ceviche, seared salmon in a wasabi/sweet pea sauce, tandoori shrimp, sushi, paper thin salmon, wild striped bass, more sushi, shrimp pad thai... oh and even a little lamb and beef, for good measure.

It all flew by very quickly, as has this short week home. I've barely had time to experience my mandatory few days of post-vacation blues. Fun weekend plans help as well. Speaking of:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WENDI !!

HAPPY MOVING TO ARKANSAS, KIT!! Wait, what?

Ciao, buddies.
-Nina

P.S. Sorry about the title. I know the proliferation of "whatever and the city" references are annoying... it's just that it's a tiny bit irrestistable when talking about NYC. 80% of the time, walking around any given 'hood in NYC, I'm singing the "doot do doot" from the S&TC intro. Or "start spreading the news..." Or "love in an elevator..." which is actually kind of inexplicable.

For no reason whatsoever:

Ciao, buddies.

-Nina.

What A Super Day.

Mother's Day was a blast this year. I was afraid it would be very sad, as it's right around the one-year anniversary of Nanny's death. Of course we gave our shout outs (and poured some out for Biggie), but the general mood was of total merriment and, apparently, starvation.

I arrived at The Vickster's and Wendi's ("casa caliente," by the way. hee) around 1:00 and we started the day with cosmos (cosmo makings and a shaker: The Vickster's Mother's Day present), and moved on to the the vino and champagne and the holy feast.

We grilled the crap out of mother's day. Check it out:

Grilled steak, shrimp, crab legs, asparagus and mushrooms. All healthy & fantastic. Mwah!

Then The Vickster and I headed downtown to the Twins-Tigers game, which, surprisingly enough, was a total blast. (If you have been following the Twinks the last month, you know why it's surprising to go to a fun game.) I think I might be good luck though - - I've been to two games and they were probably the two best games of the year so far.

Hubert's before the game. NOTE: Do NOT order a cosmo at Hubert's. That fact may seem obvious, but, whatever - it was the theme for the day. It was so strong, it was actually undrinkable.

The game was great. The Twins won 16-4. The hits just kept coming to the point it almost became old. So, I decided to play around with my camera and try to capture some cool action shots, which is actually a lot harder than I thought it would be. Timing it right was a challenge and I only got a couple of good ones.

CrazyArms Neshak with his side-winder action. I had to snap the picture before his glove got to his chin in the windup. I really dig this guy. He's one of the only Twins bullpen guys I completely trust these days.

Louis Rodriguez hamming it up. The pitch was nowhere near him; a strike even. I like this shot though.

YAY.

And then the Summit people attacked, in their hovering space travel device, and squished poor CrazyArms. It was weird.

Ciao, buddies.
-Nina

What are they thinking?

Micheal Moore to Justice Department: Thanks, fellas!

Excerpted, from the AP:

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore is under investigation by the U.S. Treasury Department for taking ailing Sept. 11 rescue workers to Cuba for a segment in his upcoming health-care documentary "SiCKO," The Associated Press has learned.

The investigation provides another contentious lead-in for a provocative film by Moore, a fierce critic of President Bush. In the past, Moore's adversaries have fanned publicity that helped the filmmaker create a new brand of opinionated blockbuster documentary.

"SiCKO" promises to take the health-care industry to task the way Moore confronted America's passion for guns in "Bowling for Columbine" and skewered Bush over his handling of Sept. 11 in "Fahrenheit 9/11."

The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control notified Moore in a letter dated May 2 that it was conducting a civil investigation for possible violations of the U.S. trade embargo restricting travel to Cuba. A copy of the letter was obtained Tuesday by the AP.

Seriously? A week before the film debut at Cannes? What a strange decision. I mean, at a time when Bushies approval rating is - what, 28% or so? It's like they want "Sicko" to be the summer blockbuster.



Ciao, buddies.
-Nina

Those little scraps of paper, post-its and bev naps, scribbled with tiny moments of brilliance: things of the past.

Well, well...and well.

Guess what, kids, I'm done with my thesis project. You know the one- the travel writing business I've been carrying around with me for the better part of two years.


How do I feel? Great. I really do. It's been a long haul and there were several times when I thought... I just might not finish this thing. The last few months have been especially rough, with nearly every free minute spent writing, revising, writing, banging my head against the wall, and then writing more.


Yes, I feel good. This good:




My gratitude goes out to, well- everyone. All my beloved buddies have offered endless support and I really appreciate it. Mel, my coach and my biggest cheerleader, I thank you the mostest of all.

Now, you'll have to excuse me, I have piles of books to read, Netflix rentals that have been sitting here for months, laundry to do, legs to shave, big fat cats to cuddle with, blogs to read, and such. AH, free time, you pretty little thing.

Ciao, buddies.
-Nina

When is something just too awesome?

Sometimes it's unfair to all the other awesome things in the world; because no matter how awesome you are, you'll never be this awesome.

Remember This Stunt?

May 1, 2003.

Mission Accomplished.
Remember how the whole nation took this moment and hugged it? Man, who knew?

It's going on FOUR years ago. Four. Just think about it.

Ciao, buddies.
-Nina

so many republicans to make fun of, so little time...

The 100 UnSexiest Men of 2007: Check out number 80

Ciao, buddies.
-Nina

P.S. Here is a little more of that it's not really funny when you really think about it, but if we don't laugh at it once in a while, we'll all just explode kind of humor, a la MadTV. (Thanks Alice.)

It's Still Not Ironic.

Until she started dating Ryan Reynolds, I had never really thought of Alanis Morissette as particularyly funny. Even then, I thought, really? But, haaayyy, this shit is so great, I'll just never think of her again without laughing. In a good way.

Be sure to watch her "dancers," too. Ah, good stuff.

Ciao, buddies.
-Nina.

I almost just bought a cake shaped like a lamb.

I've just never seen a lamb cake before. Thirty years of Easters and I never knew. How sad.

It looked very much like this, but my lamb cake was not laying in such lush greenery. I'm assuming kids really dig the lamb cake- ? I didn't find it especially appetizing, more so the cake gave me an incredible urge to dig my hands into it and chuck sticky handfulls at the wall. I'm not mad at the lamb cake- I just thought it looked like it would stick to the wall nicely.

Ciao, buddies. Happy Easter.
-Nina.

Baa. Baaaa!

Thanks, moms.

Muchas gracias for your get well wishes and home remedies. I am feeling much, much better. Yesterday about 6pm was the beginning of the turnaround time and it's gotten better every hour since. Excellent ideas, by the way. I pretty much followed Jason's sleep until you are numb theory, thank you. However, next time I get sick, I'm all over Rand's martinis and steak and eggs option.

How come when you're sick you want to sleep on the couch? I know I'm not the only one... what is that? Is it that you don't sleep well, so you try to fall asleep to the TV? Or, maybe it's just on par with how pathetic you feel - you are simply unworthy of your own bed? Or, maybe you just want to be in the middle of the room everyone walks through so you can get more attention? Probably just habit.

I watched a lot of crappy TV during my sojourn on the couch, but did manage to sneak in some winners, which I am happy to share with you, buddies:

The Dark Ages on the history channel. This was a great program. The Dark Ages don't get much play in the media these days.

Children of Men This is just a great film. As usual, Clive Owen rules and the film is almost as beautiful to look at as he is. There really is a lot to be said about it, I'd love to have a longer discussion of it with my sparty-pants friends - anytime. Especially interesting (not spoiling anything): He never once picks up a gun, although bullets fly around him most of the movie. The use of the term "homeland security" is not lost on the viewer. It's set in the not so distant future for a reason, "futuristic" sci fi type aspects are minimal for a reason - - it's more of a comment on current society than not. The hand-held visual effect works beautifully - sucks your right in, especially this amazing part where in some blood spatter sits on the lens for a shocking amount of time. Yikes. It's damn fine film making.

Rome on HBO. I on-demanded a few past episodes to prepare for the season finale. Phew, what a program. This season (#2) just knocked my socks off. The finale had this amazing and hilarious scene where in Marc Antony has yet to say fuck all and run into his own sword, but wants to fight Gaius Octavianin (later to become Caesar Augustus). In a drunken stupor - and in full Egyptian-style eyeliner, scrolling henna tattoos and a gold lame skirt - he parades around all tuff like and makes an effeminate slave boy giggle. He turns around, points his sword at slave boy and says "Do I amuse you?" and the entire Goodfellas funny like a clown scene ensues... ending in a beat down with a sword instead of a gun. Seriously.

The Riches on FX. Although not perfect, The Riches is totally enjoyable. It's a fresh new story, well-acted and certainly carries that trademark FX aplomb. It could be a lot quirkier, especially with Eddie Izzard as the lead, but it's still a fun watch. I think I'll stick with it for a bit.

Okay, I'm off to bed. My bed, in my bed room, not the couch. I'm definitely feeling better.

Ciao, buddies.
-Nina.

P.S. Attention HBO aficionados: April 8 - the new seasons of the Sopranos (the last season) and Entourage commence.

Damn it!

I'm sick. I fought it for a couple of days, with just some coughing, congestion and general tiredness, but I woke up about 4am today feeling like total ass. Damn! I know people are always saying I don't have time to get sick... but seriously, my friends, I don't have time to get sick. Damn it.

Anyone have any never-miss home remedies?

Ciao, buddies.
-Nina.

VIP St. Patrick's Day

HAPPY ST. PADDY'S DAY, yo.

I thought it would be really weird and sad, not going out for St. Patrick's Day. But, it wasn't- at all. I got a lot of writing done, saved money and, best, am fully functional and not hungover today. Love it.

I did do something super fun though - and unexpected. Mel came over to my cat-sit pad in Bloomington/Edina (cat update: he's cool. apparently the poor sucker was constipated. a little kitty-laxative & he's a-ok) and we went to have a bite at Crave, new in the Galleria. Just into a glass of wine and the (decent) sushi starter we had ordered, one of Mel's former LCB students came out of the kitchen and very proudly introduced himself as the sous chef. He, Dusty, then proceeded to send plate after plate of complimentary apps and entrees our way. O, and dessert too. We felt very VIP and very, very full.

Speaking of restaurant VIPs, did anyone see Andrew Zimmern on The Tonight Show the other night? I've been watching his travel channel show, which is pretty fun (although, he's no Anthony Bourdain. but, I suppose comparing those two are like comparing apples and puppies), and have been a longtime fan of his MSP mag stuff. Anyway, I'd say he's on the verge of really hitting it big time, which is always fun to see for a local guy. His blog is fun too.

Ciao, buddies.
-Nina.

P.S. Woops, forgot to say Happy St. Urho's Day to all of my people.

shutupSHUTUP

I am so weary of this white house. I haven't shared political thoughts for a while because I am just tired of it all... but now I'm sort of fired up again. This U.S. attorney firing thing IS a big deal and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. And it is NOT the same thing is what previous administrations have done when they've "cleaned house" upon arrival.

These attorneys are Bushie's own appointees, fired several years into the first, and even second, terms.

These attorneys were not turned over with the administration; they were fired for incompetence and other "real" reasons. These attorneys were targeted for specific behavior (such as refusing to prosecute some democrat for some made up crime or being deemed to light on democrats in general), and there is an email trail to prove it.

This is NOT what Clinton did when he came into office and there was the typical turnover. This is more akin to if the Clinton administration had conducted a covert operation to fire Ken Starr.

Ugh, puke. These guys just make me ill sometimes. They operate like bullies or mobsters and then they lie and spin with such boldness that people actually believe them. Yes, I know the good news is that less and less people do actually believe them anymore. AND, the best news, I know, is that with the newfound democratic subpoena power, this type of bullshit is coming out and people are beginning to be held accountable, a la poor little Scooter.

Ciao, buddies.
-Nina.

P.S. Do me a favor, the next time you hear a conservative say Bill Clinton - ever- flick him in the forehead. Keep flicking repeatedly until they either cry or run away.

You have got to be kidding me.

Remember when I was house/cat-sitting around christmas time and the cat wouldn't eat and I was so afraid she (at 17 years old) was going to die on my watch? Sadly, she did die shortly after her owners returned home... but that is not my point. Now, I'm back at that same house, sitting the surviving (17 year old) boy cat and guess what - - the damn cat won't eat. And he seems kind of sick. I think it's me.

Le sigh.

For crying out loud.

What is up, Saint Paul? Where is the love?

Last Wednesday evening, there were two - TWO, I say - shootings in Saint Paul. Now, I know that there are probably more than two shootings in Saint Paul on any given night, however, I'd like to take the East Side out of the equation, because (sorry), it's just sort of expected. These shooting were a lot closer to home, literally, and felt threatening in a way the East Side madness doesn't. It was a weird night of news-viewing, window-peeping, and checking in on people.

Shooting 1 - Ohio and Stevens, West Side Saint Paul, USA. This is just blocks from our house. Ish. It felt a lot scarier on Wednesday night then it turned out because 1) the fuzz originally thought there were multiple crime scenes, one basically out of our living room window... cops, ambulances, CSIs, gawkers all night all around the house, and 2) they also originally said it was gang-violence, which scares me a lot more than the botched drug deal it turned out to be.

Shooting 2 - Costello's on Selby Ave. Fucking Costello's man... ya know where Nick works and where we, um, are all the time. Nobody died in this one, but it is apparently more gangy than druggy. Awesome.

Strib blurb on both, for the curious.

I read this City Pages article a while back on the Gangs of Saint Paul and was actually quite shocked about the proliferation of random, violent, gang-related crimes downtown St. P, on the West Side and around Cathedral Hill. No one really seems to be talking about it much, at least when it was published. I know I didn't discuss the article with anyone. I remember I just read it, shut the paper and thought 'huh, that sucks' and 'what a stupid title.' I'd guess it's getting more attention now, at least at Costello's.

Anyway, speaking of drugs and gangs, I am up for checking out this new Miami club, dubbed "Miami Vice meets Scarface." I think this is hilarious and could actually be really fun and quite the hit.

Seriously, a Scarface room? Come on, that is awesome. I hope they offer free-standing piles of cocaine you can just stick your face into.

Ciao, buddies.
-Nina.

P.S. If you haven't seen it yet, go check out what I (and Mel) feel is actually the best movie of 2006 and should have brought home every award it wasn't up for: Little Children.

It is an amazing film- - intelligent, chilling, complicated without feeling heavy handed, thought (and conversation)-provoking, darkly funny, really, really well acted (beautiful, bold Kate Winslet - you never cease to amaze me) and so well written it just made me shake my head - many times. By the way, the original book was written by Tom Perotta, who wrote Election- so, you know it's smart. The adaptation was co-written by Perotta and Todd Field, the director. How it didn't win adapted screenplay is beyond me.

There's this really cool thing that happens with the voice over where it first hits you over the head with pointed narration, basically telling you how you are supposed to feel about a character or a scene... and then it drops out at one point along the way, which you don't even notice, allowing for the viewer's own judgement and connection, only to pop back up again at the end. It's jarring and, I believe, utterly brilliant.

3 2 1 ... Happy New Year!

Hey - remember New Year's Eve? Is it me, or does this feel like forever ago? How time flies... anyway, here are some NYE photos I've meant to share for a while now. Enjoy.

"What if just kick it?"

Hola, muchachos. I'm afraid this post is going to be a lot like how I feel my thought pattern (and my thesis-writing) is these days... all over the place and most likely totally boring. Sorry, I'm a little frazzled-feeling right now. Anyhoo...

• The Current "Fakebook" event on Friday night at the Fitz was awesome. Chuck Klosterman, Mary Lucia, Tapes-n-Tapes, buddies & birthdays... all in one night! Good, good stuff, all around. If you have yet to discover the brilliance (in different ways) of either Mr. Klosterman or T-n-T, run right out and make some purchases. T-n-T have once disc, so - simple, just buy it. Klosterman has a few books to choose from; I'd start with Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs & and then move on to Klosterman IV.
  
• On Saturday morning I had class, which was awesome, and then went to my cousin's wedding in Forest Lake, which was weird. It was fun and a perfectly nice wedding, but odd, for a few reasons- none of which I really feel comfortable discussing here and now. Sorry, that was rude of me to even mention it. Don't you hate it when people do that? Buddies, next time we're out, over beers or something, we can chat about it if you are curious.
  
• The drive home Forest Lake was horrific. 2+ hours and horrific. And then Sunday was just a bust - shoveling, resting, trying to drive, shoveling some more and then... that's it, I then sat on the couch and watched Babel, read a bit, did a crossword or three, watched the Academy Awards and then went to bed. Shoveling sucks.
  
• I thought the Oscars were mostly a snooze. Ellen was adorable and all Ellen-y, but the show was just... meh. I did very much enjoy the constant mental image I had of the christian coalition types choking back bile and the FoxNews "news" casters' heads spinning around as the show got greener, Gorer, and gayer. What a hoot! O, and it is official - Cate Blanchett is the hottest hottie in town. I thought that dress, and she, was perfection. Crush, crush.
  
• This is cool St. Paul news. Not new news, but cool news.
  

and...

SPRING TRAINING IS STARTING!

(this picture really makes me want to learn Photoshop).

and...

this is a cool photo:

I completely forgot the story behind this (even though I read the entire thing no more than ten days ago) but I think it's actually real, having happened somewhere in... uh, Maine or Sweden.

See? Frazzled, I say.

Ciao, buddies.
-Nina.

P.S. I really like Forest Whitaker. I have yet to see The Last King of Scotland, which looks amazing, but I think Forest seems like a real class act. And it seems as though people truly like and have a tremendous amount of respect for the dude. It's fun to see him as the man of the hour.

Imagine the sad Peanuts song when you read this.

The saddest thing ever just happened.

The DQ a block from my house just reopened- which is not sad at all, I know, but that's not the story- and I walked down there for just a little snack. Just a taste, nothing fancy... a nice medium sized twist cone. I was so excited walking back to my house with my twist cone because, not only is it a wonderful day when the DQ reopens, but also, well, a twist cone is just so fucking good.

But I was careless with my twist cone. And it was really, really windy outside. You know where I'm going with this... ?

THE FUCKING WIND BLEW THE TWIST OFF MY CONE.

It just blew it off. Onto the sidewalk. And it just splatted there, a tragic little brown and white splat, once tall and proud and twisty - now a messy pile of splat. And I stood there and stared at it for at least twenty seconds - and then I just walked back home, head hanging low. I couldn't even curse the blasted sky, I was so upset about the empty cone in my hand. It looked so damn lonely I had to throw it in the trash to put it out of its misery.

Ciao, buddies.
-Nna

Woops

Hola.

FUN: We can all stalk Katie while she's in Australia: Katie's blog. It almost seems like it should be a requirement that if a friend or loved one leaves for months at a time - well, then they must create and maintain a blog. What a great way to stay updated and, almost, feel like you are playing along. YAY KT.
___________________________________________________________

FUNNY: This is a snippet of conversation I overheard at LoTo this weekend:

Crazy-looking Old Guy at Bar: "Hey, do you know what's doing in where Mear's Market
was?"

Bartender: "Yeah, Trixx, the wine bar."

COG: "Hmm..."

Bartender: "They are over on Robert right now, just moving to a new space."

COG: "A wine bar, huh. Sounds good. Good food?"

Bartender: "Yeah, probably."

... server walks up

COG: "Hey, do you know what's doing in where Mear's Market was?"

Server: "Yeah, Trixx, the gay bar that's over on Robert."

Bartender: "Woops."


Ciao, buddies.
-Nina