Guthrie Theatre marquis downtown

Here's another shot of a different image on the marquis, this one of a man facing you.

Guthrie Theatre marquis downtown

This is on top of one of the new Guthrie Theatre buildings, which I think are hideous. They look like some corporate headquarters for IBM or something, not a theatre. Anyhow, this tower on top that so attractively resembles a smokestack is actually a marquis. Look at the light pattern, it's actually a profile of a man, some character from their next play that opens soon. Freaky, no?

Babies Are Always Cute

In this case, Baby Tigers!

New Mpls Central Library: ART!

This is my favorite piece of art inside the library. These are kid-sized violins from the MacPhail Center for the Arts, a music institute where kids take lessons and learn how to play music. Each violin has students' names carved in it. the sculpture hangs over a fireplace and gathering spot, and is also in the music section where you find CD's, sheet music, etc.

New Mpls Central Library: Glass Art!

You can see some art here, in the windows. Those aren't drapes, they're images in the glass. Each side of the building has a different pattern. This side the design is birch trees, my favorite. The other sides have water, snow, and grasses and grain.

New Mpls Central Library Open!

Here's the front of the library at the Grand Opening. It's basically divided into the booky side and then the other side has galleries, a theater, and the behind-the-scenes librarian stuff. That thing in the middle? Uh, I think that's where the spaceship landed.

Action! I know, not too exciting. But it's me reading in the brand new Minneapolis Central Library downtown, designed by architect Cesar Peli. It's very cool, and these chairs are very comfy. 

I just watched this amazing movie, Donnie Darko. I don't know how I missed this when it came out, it's brilliant. The previews make it like a teen slasher/horror flick, but it's really not. It's sort of science fiction/psychological horror, but it's sweet and sad and so very smart. And I'm totally in love with this song now, Mad World, a cover of an old Tears for Fears song that is much better than the original song. It seems to fit this movie so perfectly, hard to believe it wasn't written for the film.

I love the intense feeling in the movie of funny/sad at the same time. I also recently listened to a podcast of The Treatment in which Elvis Mitchell was talking to Richard E. Grant about his new uatobiographical movie, Wah-Wah, and Grant also spoke about that funny/sad combo that so much of life seems to be about. If you aren't laughing at it, you're missing half of it. Likewise, if you aren't crying, you're also missing what it's about. It being life. Kind of like that teenage pregnancy thing next door...I'll probably knit her a baby hat after I get over being sad. Or maybe it's in between being sad and laughing (or was that spitting nails?).

"There's Nothing Fair..."

I am so pissed at fate right now, I can't stand it. I'm having a very selfish moment of looking at the world as if it revolves around me. So bear with me for a moment. I've been trying to have a baby now for 8? years, had one miscarraige and oodles of fertility treatment.

My teenage brat neighbor is having a baby shower today. Oh. My. God. She's a loud obnoxious irresponsible...enough. I just can't stand it. It's bad enough I have to hear statistics on teenage pregnancy and try to laugh off the irony of it, now it's going to be living next door to me. Good Lord. It's just sick. And it's depressing as well. She'll make a terrible mother.

Ok. I'll try to stop that now, acting as if it's all about me. But just for a moment I had to kvetch. To borrow the sentiment from Kurt Russell in the preview for the movie Poseidon, where he says, "There's nothing fair about who lives and who dies," well, there's nothing fair about who gets a baby.

Migraine Support?

I just accidentally discovered a nationwide support network for migraine sufferers. Wow! Who knew? Like why didn't my neurologist tell me about this? Anyway, check it out, it's called MAGNUM, kind of a stupid acronym but oh well.

I actually came across this because of Peter Brady. Yes, that Peter Brady, of the Bunch. I saw him on TV the other day, hocking some exercise equipment, and I thought, oh how sad, Peter, that it's come to this. They even had the stupid moniker underneath him that said "TV star!" Oy. Anyhow, I looked him up on the internet and found something about Cindy Brady going around the country to talk to women's migraine support groups. And I thought, what? There are support groups for this fun condition? I should have known, I live in the world's capitol of support groups, the United States of Self-Help. Anyhow, I've read a little on this MAGNUM site and I like seeing the myths dispelled, like migraines are in your head, er, mentally, that is. Or that they are just like other headaches. I'm hoping they have a list of snappy comebacks to stupid things people who don't have migraines say, a la Mad magazine.

Playing fetch with Cocoa in the yard. Notice the blurry wagging tail. And no, that isn't a snake behind her, it's a stick for chewing. 

Mmmm, the lilacs are blooming. Smells so good! 

Neighborly Fun

Okay, that was odd. Our mostly harmless and mostly drunk neighbor just got upset at us because we aren't his friends. We were sitting in the backyard and he walked through his backyard with his usual stash of groceries - a 36-pack of cheap beer. I said Hello and he said Hello and then Goodbye and went inside. Then we heard him grumbling and swearing, which he does a lot anyway, but suddenly he came back outside and stood at the fence. "You know what?" he said, sort of slurrily. I think he'd already had a few. "If you don't want anything to do with me that's fine, but this fence is going down." I'm paraphrasing here. J. said "What are talking about?" and Neighbor responded that he tries to be friendly and say hello and we just ignore him. Um, didn't I just say hello first? But he wasn't listening to our responses, he turned around and went inside his house. And what the hell is he talking about taking down the fence for? It's our fence. So he can't. I guess we'll just ignore that little outburst...and hope it doesn't come up again. Weird.

In other neighborly news, I was out walking Cocoa the other day and as we were walking down the sidewalk of a nearby street, I saw a child up ahead grab a sapling and throttle it so hard I was sure it was going to snap in two. Then just about the time I decided to cross to the other side of the street with Cocoa, he spotted us and started towards us yelling "CAN I PET YOUR DOG?!" For once I said no, I don't think so. I usually like to let children pet Cocoa and try to teach them a couple things about petting dogs (never put your face near a dog you don't know, etc.) but this child was like Damien. Luckily he didn't pursue us.

The tulips are blooming! Hoorah!