Valentines Day Ideas
Oops! Valentines day is next week. Did you forget? Take a look at your significant other and imagine them on Valentines day as you try to argue that it is a made-up holiday that only benefits Hallmark and Russel Stover.
Go ahead and imagine. I’ll wait.
Not a pretty sight, is it? I have plans and they don’t include home-made coupons, cards or boxes of candy. I won’t be sharing those with anyone but if you haven’t come up with anything to do here is a list of suggestions:
Victorian Poetry Slam
WHERE: James J. Hill House
WHEN: Feb. 14, 2012 7 p.m.
COST: $10; $2 discount for MHS members.
PHONE: 651.297.2555
Reservations recommended
Cold Feet, Warm Hearts: A Night of Song, Story, and Love
Kevin Kling and friends Dan Chouinard, Bradley Greenwald, Prudence Johnson, Simone Perrin and Claudia Schmidt celebrate Valentine’s Day with songs, poems and stories about the many sides of love. Whether it’s family, friend or soul-mate, a little heat on a February night is never a bad idea!
WHEN: Sat., February 11, 7:00pm
WHERE: O’Ssaughnessy Auditorium
COST: Tickets available. Contact the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium
PHONE: 651.690.6700
Literary Love Fest
Improv poetry, music, a reading by local authors, and Hot Buttery Love (warm gingers and whiskey).
WHERE: Kieran’s Irish Pub
WHEN: Mon., February 13, 6:00pm
COST: FREE! (Except for the drinks and the food. So, yeah….)
Art of Romance Soiree
Featuring live music, chocolates, refreshments, gifts, new exhibition of artist Becky Kerhwald’s Heart series.
WHERE: Artist Mercantile
WHEN: Fri., February 10, 4:30pm-8:00pm
COST: Free! (you should probably think about buying something for your sweetie).
A Sweethearts Tour of Italy Wine Dinner
Live music with Lee Engels, Italian wine, great food, wonderful atmosphere.
WHERE: La Cucina De Nonna Rosa’s
WHEN: Valentine’s night
PHONE: 763.537.3700
If one of these doesn’t work then try jewelry. Good luck!
Winemaking Class
One of the things I have always wanted to do is learn to make wine. When I was younger I thought it might be possible to combine my three interests of the day (gardening, cooking, drinking) into one super-hobby. This was before I had children.
Or a house.
Or a decent job.
I was in my early twenties and producing my own wine from my own grapes seemed possible in that same way becoming a doctor or a jet pilot still seem possible at that age. The reality is that I cannot combine these activities into a single hobby. I have attempted vegetable gardening with some limited success and I cook food for my family every night, also with some limited success*. With work and kids and the house and writing, winemaking was always too much work.
This is a new year, right? And in the new year we are supposed to look ahead with hope that we can make ourselves better people, right? Tackle new projects, learn new things, all that sort of thing. So, in the spirit of the new year I present this:
Midwest Homebrewing & Winemaking Supplies in St Louis Park is hosting a class on winemaking and I might just go.
WHAT: Winemaking 101 (Winemaking From Kits)
WHERE: Midwest Homebrewing & Winemaking Supplies
5825 Excelcior Blvd
952-925-9854
WHEN: Jan 7 & 21 @ 10:30 am
COST: Unavailable
NOTE: According to the website class size is limited so call 952-925-9854 to register and reserve a seat!
What little research I’ve done tells me that if I start now i should have some wine by Summer. Just in time for gardening.
* My son would argue with my assessment of my cooking skills.
Robots one step closer to running our lives!
And here I was thinking I wouldn’t have anything to post. Phaw!
Researchers at Igarashi Design Interface Project have developed a clamp that BRINGS STUFFED ANIMALS TO LIFE!
Yuta Sugiura, Calista Lee, Anusha Withana, Yasutoshi Makino, Daisuke Sakamoto, Masahiko Inami, and Takeo Igarashi have developed PINOKY, a ring that clamps around body parts of stuffed animals and makes them move. These rings use motors to move the appendages and can be controlled wirelessly or play back recorded movements.
Seriously, this is really cool! Where can I get these things?
No, really, I have a fifteen year old daughter in need of a serious freak-out
Top Books of 2011
Now, in the spirit of the season I present the Top Books of 2011. As a twist I dug up not just a single top books lists but a list of lists of top books.
These are the books I should have been reading instead of what I did read. Good thing I have all of 2012 to catch up.
New York Times
Fiction
The Art Of Fielding
By Chad Harbach
11/22/63
By Stephen King
Swamplandia
By Karen Russell
Then Thousand Saints
By Eleanor Henderson
The Tiger’s Wife
By Téa Obreh
New York Times
NonFiction
Arguably
By Christopher Hitchens
The Boy in the Moon
By Ian Brown
Malcom X
By Manning Marable
Thinking Fast and Slow
By Daniel Kahneman
A World On Fire
By Amanda Foreman
Esquire Magazine
Evel
By Leigh Montville
The Family Fang
By Kevin Wilson
Train Dreams
By Denis Johnson
Townie
By Andre Dubus III
Ratification
By Pauline Maier
The Terror of Living
By Urban Waite
American Boy
By Larry Watson
Men in the Making
By Bruce Machart
The Submission
By Amy Waldman
Confidence Men
By Ron Suskind
NPR
NPR gathered together a bunch of lists which I am reprinting here.
Booksellers’ Picks: Catch The Year’s Freshest Reads
Recommended by Lucia Silva, Portrait of a Bookstore
A Christmas Tree For Pyn
By Olivier Dunrea
The Toaster Project: Or A Heroic Attempt To Build A Simple Electric Appliance From Scratch
By Thomas Thwaites
Unpacking My Library: Writers And Their Books
By Leah Price
Forgotten Bookmarks: A Bookseller’s Collection Of Odd Things Lost Between The Pages
By Michael Popek
How To Keep Your Volkswagen Alive
By Christopher Boucher
Recommended by Rona Brinlee, The Book Mark
Birds Of Paradise
By Diana Abu-Jaber
The Girl Who Would Speak For The Dead
By Paul Elwork
A Good Hard Look
By Ann Napolitano
On Canaan’s Side
By Sebastian Barry
Pasta By Design
By George L. Legendre
Rules Of Civility
By Amor Towles, hardcover
Recommended by Daniel Goldin, Boswell Books
American Boy
By Larry Watson
The Unwanteds
By Lisa McMann
Gimbels Has It!
By Michael J. Lisicky
The White Woman On The Green Bicycle
By Monique Roffey
Just My Type: A Book About Fonts
By Simon Garfield
This Burns My Heart
By Samuel Park
Top 5 Books For Backseat Readers (Age 9 And Up)
Recommended by Michele Norris
Heart And Soul:The Story Of America And African Americans
By Kadir Nelson
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making
By Catherynne M. Valente
The Secret History Of Balls: The Stories Behind The Things We Love To Catch, Whack, Throw, Kick, Bounce, And Bat
By Josh Chetwynd and Emily Stackhouse
Drawing From Memory
By Allen Say, hardcover
Saint Louis Armstrong Beach
By Brenda Woods
Tall Story
By Candy Gourlay
Jefferson’s Sons: A Founding Father’s Secret Children
By Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Inside Out & Back Again
No author listed
The Unforgotten Coat
By Frank Cottrell Boyce
The Romeo And Juliet Code
By Phoebe Stone
Conversation Starters: 2011′s Top 5 Book Club Picks
Recommended by Lynn Neary
State Of Wonder
By Ann Patchett
The Sense Of An Ending
By Julian Barnes
We The Animals
By Justin Torres
Caleb’s Crossing
By Geraldine Brooks
The Sojourn
By Andrew Krivak
From Tiny To Tome, The Best Gift Books Of 2011
Recommended by John McAlley
The New York Times Magazine Photographs
By Kathy Ryan
Harry Potter Page To Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey
By Bob McCabe
Life Upon These Shores: Looking At African American History, 1513-2008
By Henry Louis Gates
The Art Museum
By Phaidon Press
The 50 Funniest American Writers: An Anthology Of Humor From Mark Twain To The Onion
By Andy Borowitz
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty
By Andrew Bolton and Susannah Frankel
Pilgrimage
By Annie Leibovitz and Doris Kearns Goodwin
Theodore Gray’s Elements Vault: Treasures Of The Periodic Table With 20 Removable Archival Documents, A Model Pop-Up Atom, A Poster, Plus 10 Real Elements Including Pure Gold!
By Theodore Gray and Nick Mann
The Art Of Walt Disney: From Mickey Mouse To The Magic Kingdoms And Beyond
By Christopher Finch and John Lasseter
The American Heritage Dictionary Of The English Language
No author listed
Plot Driven: Alan Cheuse’s Top 5 Fiction Picks
Recommended by Alan Cheuse
The Tiger’s Wife
By Tea Obreht
The Art Of Fielding
By Chad Harbach
Once Upon A River
By Bonnie Jo Campbell
1Q84
By Haruki Murakami
The Night Eternal
By Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Sherlockian Mysteries That Will Keep You Tied Up
Recommended by Maureen Corrigan
The House Of Silk
By Anthony Horowitz
On Conan Doyle: Or, The Whole Art Of Storytelling
By Michael Dirda
Ghost Hero
By S.J. Rozan
The End Of The Wasp Season
By Denise Mina
A Drop Of The Hard Stuff
By Lawrence Block
2011′s Best Cookbooks: Revenge Of The Kitchen Nerds
Recommended by T. Susan Chang
Cook This Now
By Melissa Clark
The Food Of Spain
By Claudia Roden
All About Roasting
By Molly Stevens
The Food52 Cookbook
By Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs
What Chefs Feed Their Kids
By Fanae Aaron
The Country Cooking Of Italy
By Colman Andrews
Lidia’s Italy In America
By Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali
The Food Of Morocco
By Paula Wolfert
Ruhlman’s Twenty
By Michael Ruhlman
American Flavor
By Andrew Carmellini
The Rosie’s Bakery All-Butter, Cream-Filled, Sugar-Packed Baking Book
By Judy Rosenberg
What Sticks: Five 2011 Books That Stay With You
Recommended by Heller McAlpin
The Sense Of An Ending
By Julian Barnes
There But For The
By Ali Smith
Blue Nights
By Joan Didion
The Art Of Fielding
By Chad Harbach
Moby-Duck
By Donovan Hohn
… And we’re back.
Wow. Really apologize for that break there. Didn’t mean to be away so long. How about I get back into this with a couple calendar entries?
A Christmas Story
For those of us who like Jean Sheppard and miss the glory days of boiled cabbage and Red Ryder BB guns. Proceeds benefit Camp-Get-A-Well-A.
WHERE: New Hope Cinema Grill
2749 Winnetka Ave. N.
New Hope, MN 55427
763-417-0017
WHEN: Thursday, December 8, 7:00pm
COST: $10 suggested donation
Toys for Tots Santa Brunch
With a child-friendly buffet, carolers, make-your-own ornament, stories read by Santa’s elf.
WHERE: Kip’s Irish Pub
9970 Wayzata Blvd.
St. Louis Park, MN 55426
WHEN: Saturday, December 10, 10:00am-12:00pm
COST: $5-$12; kids free with new toy donation
Robbins Gallery 15th Annual Extremely Minnesota Juried Exhibition Closing Party
Of course feel free to stop by the gallery BEFORE the party, but I got you covered.
WHERE: Robbins Gallery
4915 42nd Avenue North
Robbinsdale, MN 55422
763-537-5906
WHEN: Thursday December 15th from 5-8 PM,
Indie Xpo* @ The Soap Factory
Like comics? I mean the type that are drawn on paper and have pretty colors, not the stand up kind. If you do The Soap Factory is putting on a little show just for you. These aren’t the traditional comics with super heroes and ads for army men. These comics are edgy, provocative and even funny. Yes, some are even web comics.
National artists and cartoonists will attend. Books will be sold and signed. Presentations will be … presented. Come! See! Be amazed!
Good Christmas presents too.
WHAT: Minneapolis Indie Xpo
WHERE: The Soap Factory
514 2nd St. SE
Minneapolis MN 55414
WHEN: November 5 & 6, 10am through 5 pm
COST: Free!
*That’s Independent Cartoonist Exposition.**
**Gah! That sounds so old fashioned now.
Open Poetry Night at the Golden Valley Library
Poetry Lovers Converge
Everyone is invited to an open poetry night at the Golden Valley Library. That’s everyone — all ages, all languages, all authors (family-friendly language is encouraged, natch). Dig out that your favorite poem or write one of your own, then bring it over and share.
WHERE: Golden Valley Library
830 Winnetka Avenue North
Golden Valley, MN
WHEN: Tuesday, Oct. 25, 6–8 p.m.
PRICE: Free!
Library Lending Arrives On The Kindle
Amazon and library e-book vendor OverDrive announced this morning that library lending via the Kindle and Kindle app is now live. This service will allow libraries using the OverDrive ebook lending service to lend book via the popular Kindle ebook platform.
Where the service is available, patrons can search a library’s web site and select “Send to Kindle” when they locate the book they want. Patrons will need an Amazon.com account and a Wi-Fi or USB connection to receive the book. The books will remain on the Kindle for two weeks and have most of the standard book features enabled. For instance, margin notes made in the book will be backed up and available if the patron borrows the book again or chooses to buy it.
Check it out, folks.
All Hallow’s Read – A Neil Gaiman Idea
Neil Gaiman, local ‘Sconnie author (okay he was local for a while), speaker (just don’t ask him to speak at a library event in Minnesota) and all around great guy has an idea for making my favorite holiday just that much more better.
Okay, stay with me folks. On Halloween everyone who likes books should give a scary book to everyone else. This is a great idea.
Wait! Where are you going? Stephen King likes this and so does Joe Hill. Yes, I know Joe is Stephen’s son but still….
I think this is great. I plan to raid Project Gutenberg and start pumping out copies of Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow on my printer to hand out with my candy.
Yes, I am that much of a book geek (and I work in printing). Sue me.
So give a book for Halloween. Even the New Testament (I hear the ending will scare the bejeezus out of you).
Stay tuned for instructions on how to print those books for passing out (as soon as I figure out how). Except for the NT. I’m pretty sure you can get those for free somewhere.
Denise Low @ Birchbark Books
Denise Low — author, poet, educator, Kansas poet Laureate (2007 -2009) — reads from her book Ghost Stories of the New West: From Einstein’s Brain to Geronimo’s Boots at the wondrous Birchbark Books Wednesday, September 14.
Ghost Stories is a prose investigation into the history of the Great Plains and the famous (and not so famous) who still haunt our past. Low dives into life and death through both Native American and European approaches to life and the afterlife. What better way to start Autumn the with a good ghost story.
WHEN: Wednesday, September 14th, 7:00 PM
WHERE: Birchbark Books
2115 W 21st St
Minneapolis, MN 55405
COST: FREE!
