Back from the dead…and blogging the whole time apparently.

It has been eight months since I’ve logged on to this little corner of the binary world.  The only excuse I can offer for this neglect is a childlike fascination with the tube as of late.  It seems as if when it is on; I must obey.    One of the objects of my complete adoration has been PBS’ Spain… On The Road Again with Mark Bittman, Mario Batali, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Claudia Bassols.  When they are gallivanting around the obscenely sun drenched Iberian peninsula chugging the local vino, supping on the regional shellfish, and waxing poetic the whole while it just tugs at the old wanderlust.  I particularly cannot seem to get enough of Bittman.   He has been speaking to my inner curmudgeon, who has been making impressive strides toward the goal of becoming an outer curmudgeon lately.  Children don’t exactly flee when they see me in their path, but its coming.

The other comfort I sustained about my extended pause between blog posts was reading in the NY Times that I am apparently pushing the limits in the new movement in the blogosphere: slow blogging.

Oh, the profundity that will yield the next post in 8 to 12 months!

M-SPIFF Lives!!

Its that time of year again, one of my favorite stretches of the calendar:

The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival
April 17 – May 3

It appears there actually will be a 26th Annual M-SPIFF. Every year rumors of its impending demise seem to resonate louder and louder. Compound that with last years’ festival being noticeably smaller both in size and scope than in previous years, and the fears of no Fest this year seemed almost plausible.

I realize there is nothing particularly unique about Minneapolis having a Film Festival as they have become about as ubiquitous as the local Costco. Yet, I would contend that this little festival that could has consistently showcased the work of international and local filmmakers that very rarely get attention from any studios or distributors.  In the eight years that I have attended the festival, I have been charmed by so many films that never saw any kind of theatrical or DVD release. Beyond that, one can’t help up but get caught up in the great spirit of conviviality as you’re waiting in line for a screening, chatting with others about what’s good, what’s phenomenal, and how just to stay warm.

I’m left with nothing to save the world with

Being from the great Scandinavian stronghold of Minnesota where we frequently bemoan the fowl weather, the eerie propagation of shopping malls, and various other maladies; I have found this interpretation of the Finnish expression of a “complaint choir” especially pleasing.

 

The Helsinki Complaint Choir shows us how its done.

 

Just in time for Valentine’s Day…

 

 

Looking to spend a dimly lit evening with that special someone over a romantic meal this February 14^th?  Well don’t brave the throngs of people desperate to land a table at some fine dining establishment when you, YES YOU, can make Haggis Lasagna at home.

 

Hilary Osborne from the Guardian tells you how.

I drank the kool aid.

Apple retail stores were apparently the place to be in 2007.

This past year I was one of the lemmings referenced in the NY Times story.  I was lured into buying my first MacBook with all of its flirty little lights and widgets winking at me.  Damn all those cheery store employees!  Their insistence on giving me the free T-shirt just pushed me over the edge. 

Wicked Little Town

At year’s end we all seem to be compelled to take stock in how the past twelve months have unfolded and then fall prey to that insidious urge to assign ourselves New Year’s resolutions.  In general, I don’t subject myself to the inevitable heartbreak that ensues when I finally come to terms with the fact that I haven’t keep up with that noble goal to floss daily.

Instead of attempting self-improvement, I seek resolutions of nights out in these Twin Cities that shall I not participate in, I will come to regret once the next New Year’s Eve forces its will upon me.   

So here is what 2008 is already telling me what to do: 

Frida Kahlo at the Walker  

Now thru Jan. 20

The guilt is already welling up in the last days of 2007 that I haven’t made it there already.

 The Poetry of Pizza at the Mixed Blood Theatre

Jan. 17 thru Feb. 10

Twin Cities Chekhov Festival at the Bryant Lake Bowl

Feb. 7 thru Mar. 1

How cute is that?

Keren Ann at the Cedar Cultural Center

Feb. 11

Pink Martini at the Fitzgerald Theater

Mar. 18

Fredrick B. Scheel at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Now thru Mar. 30

Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Jungle Theater!!! 

July 18 thru Aug. 31