Day two: 

Should have had mom’s pedometer to track all these steps we put on. 

Started out down Queen to Niche for coffee. Coffee was good; but there was a lacking of breakfast options; not that i didn’t enjoy my ginger cookie.

Headed back down queen to the street car, which we took to Eaton center to wander around and look at the “mainstream” part of the city. 

Bought a day pass that allowed unlimited transit travel; our new best friend. 

Took the street car towards St. Lawrence market. Wandered around the St.Lawrence market; had lunch from the Carousel Bakery. I had the famous peameal bacon (I’ll be honest, all it took for me to make my lunch decision was the page featuring that torn out of a Saveur and glued to the wall), Ian had veal parmesan.  Both delicious. 

from the market, we caught a bus up parliament to The Riverdale Farm and Necropolis cemetery, located at the end of a sleepy row of beautiful victorian townhouses. The farm is a seven and a half acre preserve in the middle of the city that is a true functioning farm… a charming anachronism smashing up against the Gardiner Expressway with kids toting tennis rackets listing to ipods cutting across it’s front lawn.

From there, we took a bus to the distillery district, where we wanted to buy everything in sight and nearly did from SOMA, including an immediately consumed salted chocolate covered carmel.  From Soma, we wandered over to Tappo, where we had two glasses of wine at the bar; Ian was talked in to a pour of chamomile scented grappa, while the bar tender had me blind test three reds. 

Then, we wandered off to dinner at Gilead, where we scanarfed Tapas and took a street car home. 

We told ourselves we would go back out and find a bar… but our feet protested, so we stayed. 

Birthday dinner at the Black Hoof, 4/30/12. 

Working on our illuminarium for foolmoon in two fridays…..

Red Wings Game, vs Capitols, with Seattle and Co tonight. 

The three goals the Caps scored in the first period were disconcerting… 

but not as disconcerting as the one we *didn’t* score in the third. 

Oh well. at least we were third row. :D

nedhepburn:

nevver:

Six Tips on Writing from John Steinbeck

1. Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day, it helps. Then when it gets finished, you are always surprised.
2. Write freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down. Rewrite in process is usually found to be an excuse for not going on. It also interferes with flow and rhythm which can only come from a kind of unconscious association with the material.
3. Forget your generalized audience. In the first place, the nameless, faceless audience will scare you to death and in the second place, unlike the theater, it doesn’t exist. In writing, your audience is one single reader. I have found that sometimes it helps to pick out one person—a real person you know, or an imagined person and write to that one.
4. If a scene or a section gets the better of you and you still think you want it—bypass it and go on. When you have finished the whole you can come back to it and then you may find that the reason it gave trouble is because it didn’t belong there.
5. Beware of a scene that becomes too dear to you, dearer than the rest. It will usually be found that it is out of drawing.
6. If you are using dialogue—say it aloud as you write it. Only then will it have the sound of speech.

‘Cannery Row’ is one of the best books, and ‘Of Mice & Men’ can make a grown man cry. Steinbeck was a legend. Also; the third point here is vital, stellar advice.

(via npr)

Leave the dishes. Let the celery rot in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator and an earthen scum harden on the kitchen floor. Leave the black crumbs in the bottom of the toaster. Throw the cracked bowl out and don’t patch the cup. Don’t patch anything. Don’t mend. Buy safety pins. Don’t even sew on a button. Let the wind have its way, then the earth that invades as dust and then the dead foaming up in gray rolls underneath the couch. Talk to them. Tell them they are welcome. Don’t keep all the pieces of the puzzles or the doll’s tiny shoes in pairs, don’t worry who uses whose toothbrush or if anything matches, at all. Except one word to another. Or a thought. Pursue the authentic-decide first what is authentic, then go after it with all your heart. Your heart, that place you don’t even think of cleaning out. That closet stuffed with savage mementos. Don’t sort the paper clips from screws from saved baby teeth or worry if we’re all eating cereal for dinner again. Don’t answer the telephone, ever, or weep over anything at all that breaks. Pink molds will grow within those sealed cartons in the refrigerator. Accept new forms of life and talk to the dead who drift in though the screened windows, who collect patiently on the tops of food jars and books. Recycle the mail, don’t read it, don’t read anything except what destroys the insulation between yourself and your experience or what pulls down or what strikes at or what shatters this ruse you call necessity.

— Louise Erdrich

Doomtree at the Blind Pig, 2.22.12 

Doomtree is a minneapolis-based rap collective that I love for their talent as lyricists, heavy, off-average beats and, most of all, their ability to produce and work as a collective. I love their individual shit, but energy and balance of No Kings and False Hopes outshines. 

This show was phenomenal. I have to stick with the Ghostface/Raekwon show last August as best show ever, but the raw energy in the pig last Wednesday certainly rivals it. The only disappointment was Dessa being sick. Her False Hopes EP gives me chills, and I was *so* looking forward to seeing her live. My heart totally sunk once I realized she was not coming through that door….  

Dancing in the living room.  

Day Three:

Mussels, white wine and My Best Friend’s Wedding for breakfast. 

After some group sofabed-laying, grumbling and showering, we packed up and headed out, up the peninsula to Blackstar Farms. A little chardonnay, pinot noir, and cherry wine and we were on our way. 

At first, we were going to stop at Leelanau Cellars for another taste, but then we were worried that we might not have time for lunch, which would clearly be a tragedy. So instead, we drove past, all the way up to Northport, where we had a chilly picnic on the public beach.

Totally proud of my winter-hating Sam, Arizonian, and Missourian for the massive amount of time they spent outdoors in temperatures that ranked in the teens. True Michiganders. <3

Day two:

A snowy walk across the commons to get Higher Grounds Coffee, ended with buying olive-parmesan bread at the Pleasanton Bakery and fresh eggs greens and cheese from the indoor market for breakfast.

Lunch at The Cook’s House.  Shared: Local cheese and honey plate; kabocha soup; Mixed green salad with crispy parsnips, apple and bacon; Lamb and house made parpadelle; rabbit with oats and chocolate.

The 3rd annual Winter Traverse City Microbrew and Music Festival was AWESOME. Doing things outside in the winter warms my Aquarius soul, and this event was no exception. Pictured: Perogis from the polka tent; Sam dancing in the silent disco.

A weekend in Traverse City, Day One:

Arrived with the snow around 2:30. Settled in to our awesome place in the Grand Traverse Commons, aka the former Traverse City state hospital.

Wandered up the peninsula, stopping at Tandem Ciders for a quick tasting. The tandem tasting room is as adoreable as their ciders are delicious.

Headed to Martha’s for the early bird special.

Very sleeply headed back down M-22 at seven o’clock or so. Mustered just enough energy to sing-a-long Miss New Booty.

Finished the night with a tasting at Left Foot Charlies, conveniently located behind our lodgings.

Last night Jessi and I checked out the Wurst bar.

Wurst, as in brat-wurst, idiot. 

In conclusion: (that part goes out to my lil sister.)

Nacho tots: How I have I not previously invented these, or known a drunk who did?!

Pretzel bread: everything I expect out of one of my top 10 favorite foods.

rabbit-fig-vigioner bratwurst: Great. Not too dry, which is something rabbit does. Good flavor and sweetness.

Kraut: My only disappointment. Slightly vinegary, plenty crunchy, but not… Briney. Needed some tang. However, Jess was pleased with her Kim-chi kraut.

Bingo: Is damn confusing. Next time I will limit myself to three cards.

Breakfast on a lazy afternoon Waffles with brie and cherry preserves

This is what sisters are for.

imnotthedriodyourelookingfor:

Happy Birthday, sissy. I love you. Thanks for always being awkward with me, I couldn’t ever imagine a better partner in crime. <3