November showed up today in full force and emulated the severity of winter and it’s cold. I know that it’s threatening for most, but it brings me to a place of deep placidity that can’t be achieved by any other means. November lays my body on the hearth, so that as long as I am within reach of warmth I am already there. The dark evenings bring regular people to life and give texture to all of my dreams. It foreshadows serene happenings, things like family dinners, cozy snowed in mornings, and the feel of scratchy wool on bare skin.
November extracts buried memories that are significant in as they cause you to sit there and sigh for the wonder of your youth. You remember the few exciting times that you visited your in-town storm house, you remember walking around in circles under the mercury yard light bewildered by the bizarre colors that appeared on your old coat, on your sisters’ faces, and in the night sky. You remember how you were so captive to the sweet of cider and the buttery consistency of hot chocolate that you could never keep patience to let it cool.
November grabs me by the shoulders, shakes me, and forces me to realize the beauty of the people around me, it defines all of the compelling relations that I know. It’s the time of year that walks with me, sleeps with me, and dines with me, not for the sake of itself, but for the sake of me and those folks that I have the pleasure of seeing face to face. November is why I believe in romance, it reiterates the value of relating, it creates a small resplendent glow around women, and it makes her shiny eyes even shinier. The most wholesome things I’ve gained in life I’ve found in the flannel sheets of November.
31.10.08
21.10.08
Duluth
Because of the phenomenon known as 'lazy' going on in my life, I'm posting this...
Of course you may know that Duluth is Minnesota’s northern novelty, but what of the more intimate side of Duluth? Where can you go after you’ve seen the lift bridge, skied the slopes of Spirit Mountain, taken the William A. Irvin boat tour, the Duluth Aquarium, even poked around the Glensheen Mansion? Well, never fear, there are plenty of charming places tucked into Duluth’s charismatic corners. First off, go to the waterfront or downtown, park the car and leave it there for the afternoon. Catch some lunch at a variety of the many inviting restaurants(even Indian cuisine) and simply walk around. Trust me, you’ll be entertained for hours. Record shops, bead peddlers, coffee stops, cobblestone streets, beautiful city vistas and a surprising sculpture park. The afternoon will be spent before you know it and you’ll even get some exercise out of the deal.
Please don’t spend too much time inside while you’re in Duluth, even if it’s the dead of winter. Duluth is a town that was meant to be experienced from the outside. Trails go on farther than you care to walk and they’re everywhere; you’ll never exhaust Duluth’s hiking trails. Funky stone beaches abound, little streams with soothing waterfalls dump into Lake Superior with devout presence, placid natural colors exist in every season, and that lake; well, it’s just wonderful.
Did you know that Duluth is nicknamed ‘The Air Conditioned City’? It stands to reason, as being so near to Lake Superior offers a cool summer breeze, even when not on shore. The summer weather in Duluth is a nice break from some of those scorchers in July. An hey! If you’re sick of the hot weather in January and February, well you’re in luck because Duluth offers a nice cool breeze in the winter as well. The yearly average high is only 48 degrees, a mere 19 degrees higher than the yearly average low, so bring a light jacket when you visit in the summer and bring four parkas and a sled dog team when you visit during the winter. Even with some of the starkly cold days you’re still bound to have a blast.
Museums, sports, recreation, theatre, music shows; all of these things abound in Duluth. If you visit this delightful city and find yourself bored you are definitely doing something wrong. Don’t want to spend much cash? Drive up the north shore highway and catch some sights; go to the lakeshore and watch a tanker come into harbor; throw snowballs at your unknowing travel companion; sleep in your tent at a nearby campground; take a daring swim in the frigid waters(which are never warmer than 55 degrees F); or hold a rock skipping contest with some of the friendly locals. The possibilities really are endless in Duluth and the impression it leaves on you will be endless as well. So make the trip, take your time, and return from your visit knowing that your hometown just isn’t as ‘cool’.
Of course you may know that Duluth is Minnesota’s northern novelty, but what of the more intimate side of Duluth? Where can you go after you’ve seen the lift bridge, skied the slopes of Spirit Mountain, taken the William A. Irvin boat tour, the Duluth Aquarium, even poked around the Glensheen Mansion? Well, never fear, there are plenty of charming places tucked into Duluth’s charismatic corners. First off, go to the waterfront or downtown, park the car and leave it there for the afternoon. Catch some lunch at a variety of the many inviting restaurants(even Indian cuisine) and simply walk around. Trust me, you’ll be entertained for hours. Record shops, bead peddlers, coffee stops, cobblestone streets, beautiful city vistas and a surprising sculpture park. The afternoon will be spent before you know it and you’ll even get some exercise out of the deal.
Please don’t spend too much time inside while you’re in Duluth, even if it’s the dead of winter. Duluth is a town that was meant to be experienced from the outside. Trails go on farther than you care to walk and they’re everywhere; you’ll never exhaust Duluth’s hiking trails. Funky stone beaches abound, little streams with soothing waterfalls dump into Lake Superior with devout presence, placid natural colors exist in every season, and that lake; well, it’s just wonderful.
Did you know that Duluth is nicknamed ‘The Air Conditioned City’? It stands to reason, as being so near to Lake Superior offers a cool summer breeze, even when not on shore. The summer weather in Duluth is a nice break from some of those scorchers in July. An hey! If you’re sick of the hot weather in January and February, well you’re in luck because Duluth offers a nice cool breeze in the winter as well. The yearly average high is only 48 degrees, a mere 19 degrees higher than the yearly average low, so bring a light jacket when you visit in the summer and bring four parkas and a sled dog team when you visit during the winter. Even with some of the starkly cold days you’re still bound to have a blast.
Museums, sports, recreation, theatre, music shows; all of these things abound in Duluth. If you visit this delightful city and find yourself bored you are definitely doing something wrong. Don’t want to spend much cash? Drive up the north shore highway and catch some sights; go to the lakeshore and watch a tanker come into harbor; throw snowballs at your unknowing travel companion; sleep in your tent at a nearby campground; take a daring swim in the frigid waters(which are never warmer than 55 degrees F); or hold a rock skipping contest with some of the friendly locals. The possibilities really are endless in Duluth and the impression it leaves on you will be endless as well. So make the trip, take your time, and return from your visit knowing that your hometown just isn’t as ‘cool’.
13.10.08
20 Questions About Bathrooms: Question #9
9. Is that carpet in your bathroom?
Please, please say it isn’t so. I can’t imagine when this would ever be a good idea. I’d rather have a carpeted garage than a carpeted bathroom because I could handle oil spills and paint stains on garage carpet a lot better than various other spills and stains(use your imagination) on bathroom carpet. Just. A. Really. Bad. Idea.
Please, please say it isn’t so. I can’t imagine when this would ever be a good idea. I’d rather have a carpeted garage than a carpeted bathroom because I could handle oil spills and paint stains on garage carpet a lot better than various other spills and stains(use your imagination) on bathroom carpet. Just. A. Really. Bad. Idea.
9.10.08
The Nod
There is a subtlety between men, it’s unspoken, untaught, instinctive. I can’t recall when I first noticed it, though when I did, I’m sure I understood it’s presence. There you are, walking swiftly down a hallway in a hospital, or on a sidewalk towards your favorite bar, and upon making eye contact with the man walking in an opposite direction, you nod. It is almost indecipherable from your normal motion, undetectable even, but he nods back, acknowledging your cordial greeting. It’s small and quick, noble and upright, elusive and standard. No frilly waves; no boisterous ‘hellos’; only a slight nod that asserts each of your existences and manhood. A built in operation that says so much.
I would like to know then if women are aware of the nod. It could be that I’m naive and the nod’s presence is known and used by everyone. However, I like to think of the nod as the secret handshake of men. Tell me women, do you know the nod? Can you grasp it’s significance? Have you ever attempted to use the ‘nod’ and failed miserably? I’d love to know.
I would like to know then if women are aware of the nod. It could be that I’m naive and the nod’s presence is known and used by everyone. However, I like to think of the nod as the secret handshake of men. Tell me women, do you know the nod? Can you grasp it’s significance? Have you ever attempted to use the ‘nod’ and failed miserably? I’d love to know.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
