Weekend Teaser

Whew! Isn't it funny how sometimes it seems like the weekend wears you out more than the actual week does? The weekend was full of fun things: A trip to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, hanging out with my brother, and going to see Wall-E. And a few not-as-fun things, namely, homework. Which is why I'm still working on my post from the Minn. Inst. of Arts (lots of photos to sort through).

Luckily I have a few non-museum pics that I wanted to share. I LOVE this one. My brother has the goofiest look on his face and my dog looks like he's ready to jump out of his skin, he's so happy.

This one is of some random guy we spotted on the sidewalk the other day. Unfortunately I couldn't get a full shot, but he's riding down the street in a reclining bicycle with nothing but Richard Simmons short shorts and Bono glasses on. My sister and I were seriously cracking up. If only he had had a Gorilla trailing him like this guy

The World's Best Cracker (and Cupcakes)

I was going through old files on my computer and I came across this photo and it made me laugh. That must have been one tasty cracker for all the effort he was putting into it.

In other news, I found a cupcake blog that made my mouth water uncontrollably. She's on a posting hiatus, but there are so many amazing creations in the archives. When I'm rich maybe I can hire a cupcake chef to come work for me...

The Ballad of Sven the Svede

Last week, I dragged my sister and my sister dragged her friend "Emily" to the Swedish festival in Minneapolis. I didn't really do a whole lot of research so we didn't know what to expect, but in my opinion that's half the fun of going to events like these. We did know that there would be ample people-watching opportunities available since Minnesota has a large Swedish-American population.

At the entrance we found a Swedish flag:

And inside there was an exhibit of dresses. Not just any dresses, but ones that a QUEEN named Silvia had worn to the NOBEL PEACE PRIZE ceremonies. We had no idea we were going to be treated to such a fantastic exhibit, but it was quite a pleasant surprise.

There were dresses clearly dating from the 70's like this paisley chiffon gown:

But other dresses were timeless and beautifully designed. The next two were my favorites and the photos don't come close to doing them justice. This green silk taffeta gown was stunning:

This white one was SPARKLY all over! If anything would make you feel royal it would be this dress. The bodice was pearl encrusted and the tulle skirt had little crystals sewn all over in between the layers. (I could probably get rid of the bow, but maybe I just don't like it because bows aren't really my thing). But seriously, I think we were all mesmerized by the sparkles. I've just decided that when I get married I want a wedding dress encrusted with pearls and crystals. I wonder how much that would cost...

When we stepped outside the Swedish museum, we were treated with the sight of honest to goodness Swedish people. His coat was so regal blowing in the wind that we decided to channel our paperazzi selves:

After we snapped a couple, he started to notice and stare at us a bit. I figured he wasn't used to American customs like stalking, so I made Lizzie and "Emily" go over and ask for a picture.

Apparently he was smitten by "Emily" because he came over and tried to chat with her.

I thought he said: "Do you want to hang out with some Swedish people?"

"Emily" thought he said: "Have you ever danced with a Swedish guy before?"

Apparently he really said: "Have you ever gone on a date with a Swedish guy?"

She shook her head no and in a heavily accented voice he asked for her number. Apparently this really freaked her out because she panicked and gave him a fake name (Emily) and her real number. Which made me laugh... a LOT. Who gives someone a fake name but a real number?

After he walked off to go fiddle or something, my sister and "Emily" commenced a long freak out session.

L- You just got hit on by a 30 year old!

Me- I'm pretty sure he was at most 22

E- Oh my gosh! What am I going to do if he calls? He's as old as my dad! Eww! Couldn't he tell I wasn't even 18? Why was he hitting on young girls?

L- Crap! When he calls and gets you voice message, he's going to know your name isn't Emily! You need to rerecord it so it says hi this is petticoat or something!

Me- (Laughing like crazy) Petticoat? Seriously?

E- Yeah! Or something like that! What am I going to do guys? Oh my gosh! He's probably following us right now! We need to go or he's going to stalk me! What if he finds out where I live?!

This continued for a while longer, with me laughing for most of it...

Presenting Sven the Svede

I was going to blog about what I would have liked to ask John McCain at his "town hall meeting" last night in St. Paul (if I had been willing to brave the people swarming everywhere for a candidate I don't even support), but IT'S FRIDAY and I don't have school and I don't feel like ranting. So instead, I will leave you with a picture of Sven the Svede (That's Sven's mother, Svenetta in the foreground). More about Sven on Monday:

Catch Up: Installment the Third

(If you didn't get a chance, you can read my first and second installations here and here.)

A couple of weeks ago, Lizzie and I went to the Minneapolis Mosaic Festival. It's a celebration of different cultures and their traditional forms of art and dance. And it's FREE! Which is always fabulous. We'd never been in previous years so we weren't sure to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the performances. It was held in Minneapolis's theater district and each theater held different kinds of artists.

One of our favorites was the Flamenco dancer and her band:


And the children loved it enough to shake it up in front of the stage:



Besides the actual performances, we love going to things like this to do some serious people-watching. We found this lady who was so tan that her skin looked like leather. Honestly, this picture is flattering compared to real life:

We also found this ADORABLE patriotic couple. I especially love the fringe on her boots (The person in the foreground on the left side is my little sister pretending to pose for a picture. We try to be so sneaky):

The most mockworthy performance of the night were these Japanese drummer/dancers. You may or may not notice that none of them are actually Japanese. Pay special attention to the man in the back. He had some interesting moves that led us to call him "praying mantis man."

And last but not least, we saw this guy on our way back to the parking garage. Sorry it's so blurry, but we were walking and it was dark. Gotta love a guy in a feather hat and stohl :)

Ick...

I got into rush hour traffic today and half-way home I started to feel incredibly nauseous. It went away briefly, but I am starting to feel like I'm on a downward spiral of sudden sickness. Let's hope I feel good enough to go to school tomorrow.

Cue Lee Greenwood singing...

Can I just share with you guys how much I've been geeking out over the Guantanamo Bay Supreme Court ruling last week? Justice Kennedy has never been my favorite Justice (or least favorite), but reading his opinion on the Boumediene v. Bush case brought serious tears to my eyes (Yep, I know I'm a dork). While a lot of it is written in legalese mumbo jumbo that's hard to understand completely, these two paragraphs are clear and beautiful as can be:

"Officials charged with daily operational responsibility for our security may consider a judicial discourse on the history of the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679 and like matters to be far removed from the Nation’s present, urgent concerns. Established legal doctrine, however, must be consulted for its teaching. Remote in time it may be; irrelevant to the present it is not. Security depends upon a sophisticated intelligence apparatus and the ability of our Armed Forces to act and to interdict. There are further considerations, however. Security subsists, too, in fidelity to freedom’s first principles. Chief among these are freedom from arbitrary and unlawful restraint and the personal liberty that is secured by adherence to the separation of powers. It is from these principles that the judicial authority to consider petitions for habeas corpus relief derives.

Our opinion does not undermine the Executive’s powers as Commander in Chief. On the contrary, the exercise of those powers is vindicated, not eroded, when confirmed by the Judicial Branch. Within the Constitution’s separation-of-powers structure, few exercises of judicial power are as legitimate or as necessary as the responsibility to hear challenges to the authority of the Executive to imprison a person. . . The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times. Liberty and security can be reconciled; and in our system they are reconciled within the framework of the law. The Framers decided that habeas corpus, a right of first importance, must be a part of that framework, a part of that law."

Reading that statement makes me SO proud to be American. Yes, the world is crazy. Yes, there are "dangerous enemy combatants." But the framer's of our constitution were not dumb when they provided the privilege of habeas corpus. Even foreign criminals have a right to challenge the legality of their detention. It is truly one of the things that make our country different from many others.

Catch Up: Installment the Second

In continuation of my first installment, I've been writing about what I've been up to instead of blogging the last few months.


3) Spent a few days taking self portraits through a make-shift fish-eye lens. Fish-eye lenses let photographers take those photos that are distorted so it looks as if you're seeing the picture through a bubble or raindrop. Unfortunately those lens attachments are expensive and I was (am) somewhat poor so buying one was a no-go. Instead I bought one of those peep holes that go in doors and attached it to my point-n-shoot camera. The results were not as drastic as I had hoped, but still fun:

I look like I have a HUGE nose in this next one! I bet you'll all enjoy the lovely view :)

4) I applied to, interviewed for, and started attending school again. Woohoo! I'm doing an accelerated program that lets me accomplish a year's worth of work in 4 months. Afterwards I have high hopes I'll be able to start a career instead of just having a job. I've also been dreaming about where to move after I finish. I'll probably stay in the Twin Cities, but I've been considering other options as well (feel free to give me suggestions). I know I move more than the average person, but I feel liberated by my singleness and lack of ties. I could go anywhere and meet anyone. I love that feeling more than almost anything else. Some places I've been thinking about:

And if McCain wins the 2008 election:

Catch Up: Installment the First

The few readers I have left know that my blog has been missing something lately. What would that be? If you guessed consistent and frequent posts you would be correct. Call it writer's block or call it laziness, the result is the same. A boring blog.


I would, however, like to share with you what I've been doing the last few months before getting in the groove of blogging about things happening in the present.


1) I finally moved all my furniture and said goodbye to Colorado. Although I technically moved to Minnesota in January, it was such a sudden move that the best option was to move my essentials in my little Sentra and leave the rest of my crap in my apartment until my lease was up and I could take a few days off work. It wasn't easy to let go of a place I loved so much, but getting the rest of my stuff did help with closure. Kind of like giving all your ex's stuff back after a break up. Here's the apartment in its almost empty stage:

We packed all my stuff into a defunct U-Haul with a broken cigarette lighter and a broken radio that would only play AM stations. Rush Limbaugh and the Disney channel? Let me tell you my ears were in tremendous pain after an hour or two. Not exactly the road trip dreams are made of.

2) I attended a LOT of ski meets and concerts. My siblings and I are all spaced out by 4 years so I've never been able to attend their sporting activities or performances because I've been living in places like Hawaii, Utah, Arizona, and Colorado. My conclusions: Ski meets in Minnesota are colder than I thought was possible, my little sis looks a LOT better in Spandex than most people, and piano concerts are mostly painful until the last few students get to play.

More to come...

Piglet Much?

Oh. My. Gosh.

This has to be the most adorable thing I have ever seen. Their little piglet is afraid of the mud, so she gets little Wellington boots put on every morning.

CHECK IT OUT ------------>

I've got myself a new Register to Vote Widget. Now, most of you are probably registered already. But if you're not... take this opportunity to do it. It'll take 2 minutes. Tops. And you'll feel better about yourself. Even if you're a republican :)

Deranged Kitty and a Cute Puppy

My little Baerli was being so cute this morning frolicking in the backyard with his beloved bone that I had to share some pics with all of you. I also was able to snap a picture of my somewhat deranged kitty. Have you ever seen that movie "Everything is Illuminated?" My cat is the feline version of the Ukrainians' family dog.

Ready to pounce on the closest bird or squirrel:

Protecting his treasured bone:

And last but not least, my deranged kitty:

Never Trust a Bird

The marvelous Stacy tagged me for "the easiest meme ever" the other day and I figured I could handle it. The rules of the meme are:

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.

Since I'm sitting right next to a couple of my dad's huge bookshelves filled with tons of books I have never read nor do I plan to read, I picked up the first book that I've read. Even if it was a terribly long time ago.

From Gulliver's Travels:

"I cannot tell whether I were more pleased or mortified to observe in those solitary Walks, that the smaller Birds did not appear to be at all afraid of me; but would hop about within a Yard Distance, looking for Worms, and other Food, with as much Indifference and Security as if no Creature at all were near them. I remember a Thrush had the Confidence to snatch out of my Hand with his Bill, a Piece of Cake that Glumdalclitch had just given me for my Breakfast. When I attempted to catch any of these Birds, they would boldly turn against me, endeavouring to pick my Fingers which I durst not venture within their Reach; and then they would hop back unconcerned to hunt for Worms or Snails, as they did before."

Creepy. Clearly I was wrong to assume all of my slightly irrational fears about birds came solely from Hitchcock's movie "The Birds."

And what's with Jonathan Swift's tendency towards capitalizing nouns? A Bit out of Control.

I'm not going to specifically tag anyone, but consider yourself tagged if you want to be :)

Interview With a Bubba

Over the weekend my little bro was gracious enough to let me interview him for the enjoyment of the blogosphere. He can be tough to deal with sometimes, but for the most part he's a pretty fun little kid. Or teenager....

How old are you Jared? (I only forget sometimes....)

Eighty

And that makes you what? A... 7th grader?

Yep

It's been a while since I've been in Junior High, what's it like these days?

Gangster

What do you mean by gangster?

Everyone's a gangster

But we live in the 'burbs...

It's still pretty gangster

Okaaaayyy, moving on. What subject do you like the most?

Math.

Why?

Because it's always funny.

Because of your teacher?

No, the class is just funny.

How smart would you say you are J-rod?

Pretty smart. Like boy genius.

Who's the cutest girl in school?

Not answering

Why not?

Cuz I'm just not answering

(What does he think I'm going to do? Tease him about it? Okay, I probably would, but it'd be so much fun...)

Whose better: Superman, Spiderman, or Batman?

Batman

Why?

Cuz he's not cheesy.

Cheesy?

The other one's are for teeny little kids.

And Batman is for grown ups?

No, but it's for older kids.

I like Batman. Christian Bale style...

He's good in the movie, but otherwise... he's a pansy.

But not as Batman?

No.

Why are there seven days in a week?

Because... Is there like something to this question or something?

No. Just a question. If you were in a boy band what would it be called?

Your Mom. That was a joke Jennie. Here's the answer: I would never be in a boy band.

But you'd get lots of chicks...

Yeah, but guys in boy bands were tight suits and things. Funny outfits.

So you wouldn't do it because it'd hurt your fashion sensibilities?

Pretty much.

Describe our cat Tigger for my readers.

Umm, he attacks you if you go near him sometimes. Or he goes whiny whiny if you pick him up at all.

Which nickname do you like better: J-rod or Bubba?

J-rod. Because the other one's insulting.

(Some back story: When J-rod was a baby, he was huge. Like mega huge. Whenever we took him out people would comment about how he was going to be a linebacker when he grew up. All those rolls of fat were so adorable and Bubba just fit him. We called him that for at least the first 6 years of his life. The picture to the right was taken after he had learned to crawl and shed some of the massive baby chubbiness.)

Will you answer one of life's biggest mysteries? Why do girl's buy so many shoes?

It's cuz they're crazy.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose?

Mmm... Gandolf.

Why Gandolf?

Duh... Because he has magic. Good enough. No more questions.

Wait, one more. Would you rather drink a barrel of monkey snot or go down a slide or razerblades into a vat of iodine?

The second one.

Apparently my brother has had enough torture for a night :)

My Town Monday - Malls That are Probably way to big Edition

Wow, it seems like forever ago that I last posted anything. Last week was pretty busy and crazy leaving me no time to post. Any free time I had went to reading Trish Ryan's new book which was a fantastic read, demanding all of my attention until it was finished.

As most of you know, Minnesota is not the warmest of places in the winter. In the Twin Cities, roughly a fourth of the year is spent in below freezing temperatures. Great news for bundled ice skaters and hockey players, but terrible for the rest of us. Forget about going outside at all if there's wind chill involved. Luckily, Minnesota is home to a heart warming place called The Mall of America (AKA - The largest mall in America.)



Here are some fun facts about the MOA:

1) The mall is built where the Twins' and Vikings' Metropolitan Stadium was located. When the mall was constructed they commemorated the exact place where home plate was by putting a plaque there.



2) Only the entrances to the mall are heated, even in the winter. Because the overhead windows, light bulbs, and people create so much heat they actually have to air condition the mall year round. Crazy!

3) There are over 500 retail stores inside the mall and 32 of them are shoe stores. (Did you read that Heidi? 32 Shoe stores!)

4) The mall includes Nickelodeon Universe (the largest indoor amusement park in the US), an A.C.E.S flight simulation area, a LEGO store and play area (one of my favorite spots), a large 18 hole mini-golf course, an aquarium (they let you touch sharks), a bowling alley, a movie theatre, and an indoor stock car racing facility (you won't find me anywhere near there).




5) They are in the process of expanding the mall to include 400 more stores, 3 hotels, an ice rink, a dinner theatre, and a waterpark.

6) The mall gets over 40 million visitors a year making it the most visited mall in the world.


7) Apparently there is a chapel inside the mall somewhere and over 4200 couples have been married there. Why would anyone want to get married in a mall? Seriously? I can think of a million other places I'd rather be married. No offense to any blogging friends who got married in a mall.

I have to admit that as much fun as it can be to go wander aimlessly when I have enough money and time to do so, most of the time I hop on over to a smaller mall in The Cities. All the shoe shops, screaming amusement park kids, tourists, and random mall performers have a way of getting to you after a while. Still, I do like to do my Christmas shopping at the MOA because I find the best gifts hidden away in tiny one-of-a-kind stores. How could I not? They have everything at the Mall of America.

PS - For a full list of My Town Monday posts visit Travis Erwin's blog here.

Dear Co-Workers

Dear Co-Workers,

Unfortunately we don't all have our own offices. Instead we have cubicles, which makes it likely that other people with hear you when you talk loudly on the phone. To your doctor. When you are describing a disgusting ailment. In intense detail.

I can also hear you when you talk to your significant other. Which shouldn't really be a problem. Except that you insist on talking about your steamy non-professional lives.

Ew!

Sincerely,
Jenkneebee

My Town Monday - One of the Most Beautiful Bridges Edition

A couple of the blogs I've been reading recently (One Word, One Run, One Day and Barrie Summy) participate in something called My Town Monday. Every Monday they share fun facts, pics, and stories about local places. I love their posts so much that I've decided to start participating. Maybe not every Monday, but on a semi-frequent basis at least. I've lived so many places and loved so many unique things about each one that I want the opportunity to share them with all of you.




This week I've decided to blog about the St. Paul Stone Arch Bridge, one of my favorite places to go in the Twin Cities. The beautiful bridge featuring 21 stone arch spans was originally built in 1883 by James J. Hill as a rail road bridge. It spans a total of 2100 feet across the Mississippi river and is a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.






In 1978, the railroad stopped using the bridge and it was eventually renovated to create a scenic pedestrian path. Several festivals are held on the bridge each year and it's a great place to watch the fireworks during 4th of July celebrations because they are launched from an island in the middle of the river.


The bridge is a great place to see the city and other Mississippi bridges down and up river. St. Anthony's falls can also be seen clearly from the bridge and it contributes to the charm of the location. All in all, the bridge is a beautiful St. Paul retreat located in the middle of the bustling city.



Note: As much as I wish I had taken these photos, I didn't. They are on my blog compliments of wikipedia images :)

It's All Right... Cuz I'm Saved by the Bell

Some things I used to love as a child have lost much of their awesomeness (I'm not sure if that's really a word, but I couldn't think of anything else that worked there) as time moved forward. Things like bubble gum ice cream, the Olsen twins, and Vanilla Ice. Fortunately, there are tons of things that still rock from way back when.

Back in the day, my best friend and I would race to her house from the bus and settle in to watch a fabulous episode of Saved by the Bell. We were massively in love with Zach and Slater and if only they knew us, they would be massively in love with us too. Screech and Mr. Belding were alternatively funny and annoying, Kelly was so beautiful, Lisa was rockin' the early 90's fashions, and we all wanted to be as smart as Jessie.

Last night, I found out that with my new Netflix membership (Yep, I'm a bit behind the times) I can watch ALL of the episodes online, ANY time I want. Well, maybe not at work, but other than that. I ended up watching the one where Lisa and Zach hook up, but Screech is not at all happy about it. And I loved it almost as much as I used to. Sure, the lines are cheesy and the acting is slightly unbelievable at times, but it was great to see my old friends Zach, Kelly, Jessie, Slater, Lisa, and Screech again.

You Better Not Pout, I'm Telling You Why....

Last Friday I flew out to Colorado Springs and found a fabulous surprise waiting for me at the airport. Santa Claus and his brother had decided to crash our flight (reindeer apparently only work on Christmas)! Santa was sporting glorious red shoes, black pants, and a Hawaiian style shirt featuring his likeness all over it. Later he also wore a bright red sports coat to compliment his colorful shirt. He was also carrying a stylish, boxy man bag. His brother was wearing a shirt covered with holly leaves and he also had a beautiful, free flowing beard. I must say, they handled the stares and attention like pros and even flew coach so they could be with the people who love them. Unfortunately Mrs. Claus was staying home to oversee the Elves. Being the stalker I am, I couldn't let the opportunity pass to score some pics on my new phone.

Walking away from the terminal without the knowledge that I was following them and trying to capture their white locks on film:


Even Santa needs a rental car sometimes. His company of choice? Hertz rental service. Rumor has it that they've been the least naughty.

A nice side profile of Santa's brother who was waiting for their baggage. Don't you love that beard? You can tell it's cold up north!