Summer Weekends III

Another festival! This weekend was Pride. As I've mentioned before, I somehow didn't grow up watching parades, so I'm making up for lost time.

Lipstick art car and flamingo bike

Pride is an especially fun and flashy one, and the spectator-watching is as good as the parade itself! (Thanks to David for the pictures, from his phone.)

Yay for our city council!

Another cool thing was that a lot of politicians (and pretty much all of the important ones) showed up, and some of them, like our uber-cool representative Keith Ellison and silver fox mayor R.T. Rybak, were very high energy, running around and slapping high-fives with the crowd. I had also read that although past Pride parades have tended to be rather corporate (something still in evidence today, although I still think it's pretty awesome to see employees from Wells Fargo, Macy's, etc.--tame, flaming, and everywhere in between, along with their kids and families--marching in this parade), this one tried to focus more on advocacy and rights. Ah! Found the link.*

One of the more colorful floats

David and I biked to the parade, after I did yoga this morning and whipped up breakfast, including these delicious muffins (with CSA rhubarb; I made the first batch of these muffins yesterday, but before that had never cooked with rhubarb at all!). After the parade, we went with friends to further festivities in the park, where we managed to get sunburned (me through 50 spf on my face!) and so exhausted that after our ride home we napped for a couple of hours. Fun times!

Here's a picture David took earlier in the weekend, playing Rock Band with friends. I like it because you can totally tell how much fun I'm having.




*If you're only going to read one of these links, though, read the one about R.T.'s take on the Pride parade!

More Christmas

This is my tree!

Tonight I further upped the Christmas-ing with a very cold pilgrimage to Holidazzle, which I apparently mentioned here last year, but only in passing. It's a distinctly chilly, but blessedly short, parade that's kind of an institution in these parts. Primarily, it's cold. Secondarily, it's sparkly. Thirdly, it's extremely corporate. Sixthly and lastly, it's festive (and cold).

Here are a few of David's pictures:





In the last picture, we're dancing to stay warm. Good times.

Christmas Eve Eve

Wow, Internet, it's been a week since I updated here. In the meantime, I have attended a few parties; given a final exam; graded 75 final exams (including Blue Book essays--blurrrgh); calculated and entered grades for that course; seen my first Holidazzle parade; received news of passing my French exam (apparently I was "perilously close to the permitted number of errors" on the first part of the exam, but was passed since the translation section was "above average"!); and, most importantly, flown to the desert, from which I now write.

As always, I am thrilled to be here, despite the fact that in the week before I arrived, the high desert received an unprecedented amount of snow, with estimates ranging from eight inches to a foot. Thankfully, it all melted yesterday, but not before I got a few pictures:

In the next few days, my parents and I will be leaving the desert to holiday with friends and family up north, which means more snow. However, I feel thankful to be able to travel (west, as well as north) and to spend Christmas with people I love.

I'll be seeing some of you Alert Readers in person soon enough, and to the rest of you, I wish pleasant, restful, refreshing and inspiring holidays. Merry Christmas!

Protesting

So David and Erin both asked about the RNC and protesting. I wish I had more to say about that. Blame it on trying to write my prospectus, not wanting to get arrested, or general laziness, though, but all I did was try to spot Republicans downtown Saturday night (they were wearing blazers and lapel pins!); attend the Liberty Parade and concert on Sunday; and participate in Take Back Labor Day on Monday. I'll go ahead and tell you about my limited experience, anyway.

Take Back Labor Day was the only time I was in St. Paul during the convention. We biked over, and traffic wasn't bad at all, until we got close to the Xcel Center. Then it was just weird; they had installed these black cyclone fences around the convention center, and between the sidewalks and the streets. There were cops everywhere, many of them from out of town; I heard people complaining that streets had been inexplicably blocked, and that none of the cops could even give directions of how to get around.

Take Back Labor Day was on Harriet Island, and because they had closed the bridge we wanted to take, we ended up taking the High Bridge over. It was a serious climb (Wikipedia says it's 160' tall), but had plenty of room for bikes, which was nice. On the other side, we took a breather and looked at the city. A mom and about six kids unloaded from a van and shared the view with us; the kids were most excited by the "boats with machine guns on the front"--in fact, the Coast Guard was patrolling the Mississippi.

The event was in a big park right across from the Xcel Center. Security there felt much calmer than on the other side of the bridge; there were a few patrols of people in T-shirts from some security company, but not the hordes of officers we'd just left. There were lots of tents set up with food and different events, but the big attraction was the main stage, where we heard, among others, Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine, Atmosphere, and Mos Def. The event was primarily about workers' rights, which was a fitting protest to the RNC. We made a lot of noise, and I'm sure Republicans outside the Xcel Center could hear us, although I'm sure it was plenty quiet inside.

My friend and I were taking a look at the tents on our way out when we saw crowds gathered along the riverbank. As we looked, we saw a yacht with a banner that said "Stop Torture," being pursued by probably five Coast Guard boats and two or three smaller sheriff's boats. It was making quick movements and seemed to be outfoxing its pursuers, which we all cheered. Across the bank, I could see a wall of people in black, apparently officers. It looked like there were 50 or 60 of them, and I couldn't figure out what they were doing; protecting the bank in case the yacht's occupants wanted to protest torture on land?

A guy beside me nudged me and said, "Did you see the snipers?" Sure enough; as I looked, I saw two unmistakable figures standing on a building beside the Xcel Center. You can see them in this picture my friend took. It was only later, looking at this guy's photo set on Flickr, that I realized that what we'd been seeing on the other bank was the police surrounding detainees. Creepy.

We left shortly thereafter to head home. As we got back to the High Bridge, however, we were dismayed to see police cars blocking the entrance. An old man watching from the sidewalk told us we'd have to detour to the I-35 bridge, miles away. Thankfully, however, as we watched, we saw that the cops were letting pedestrians and cyclists through. We had the bridge entirely to ourselves! Although I later realized that the closure appeared to be another heavy-handed gesture to control protesters (read: freedom), gliding down that silent bridge, I felt like I was in a dream. I snapped a camera phone picture of what felt like The Future.

Later, as we crossed another bridge into Minneapolis, passing a patrol car and officer on the Saint Paul side, I felt, more than I ever had before, how really separate the two cities are--and it was a relief to be home.

As much as I heart Jon Stewart, I have to respectfully disagree with his characterization of St. Paul as "so much better than Minneapolis. Minneapolis is Danny DeVito to St. Paul's Schwarzenegger." I don't know where he was in each city to come up with that comparison... but I'm glad to live on the right side of the river (the left one).

Back

Hello again, Internets. It's been a while. Sorry about that.

Since then, however, I have had good times. Last long weekend, those included:

• Celebrating my birthday downtown with friends
• Attending the Liberty Parade and concert
• Celebrating my birthday at a barbecue with friends
• Biking to St. Paul and back, for the purpose of
  
• Attending the Take Back Labor Day event, my way of
• Protesting the RNC (kind of a lame protest, I admit... but fun)

Here are a few pictures:

This weekend was a bit quieter--a movie out, riding my bike, helping a friend move, attending another barbecue--mostly because I had to recover from my week, which included...
turning in my prospectus in advance of my oral exams...
because...

I passed my written exams!

Unfortunately, the prospectus wasn't very good. However, my friends who have been through this keep telling me that the written exams are more difficult than the orals, and that if I passed the former, I'm golden for the latter. Needless to say, I have my doubts--but I am more than ready to have this over with and be ABD. What an exciting thought that is!

In other news, school has started, and for the first time in something like 20 years (with the exceptions of 2000 and 2003), I will not be attending classes. I find it hard to believe that I've taken all the classes I need for a terminal degree. I know most of you think I've been in school for forever, but seriously, this seems so... so... sudden. (Although, I will admit, hardly crushing; after all, I am still on campus three days out of the week for TA-ing and dissertation workshopping.)

Also, it's cold here. So cold that I've had to close my windows and turn on my electric blanket. A friend and I did still run our nine miles in shorts this morning, but I also wore my trusty jacket.

Oh--and, yeah, nine miles! Knock on wood, but my leg seems okay so far. Hmmm... did I ever actually mention that my stress fracture (or something in the same region) flared up after I did nine at my parents' just before I left, and that I'd stayed off my leg for the next month? Anyway, I'm back, and trying to ease in slowly, but still hoping to be able to rock the TCM.

And finally, in other news I seem not to have mentioned, but discovered looking for the non-existent reference to the leg trouble, I fixed my pointer problem. I disabled the pointer stick. Yesssss.

New Year's Eve & Christmas pictures

So I've spent memorable New Year's Eves watching the Space Needle fireworks in the Seattle Center, dancing at the EMP, at a midnight Bach concert in St. James Cathedral, and even in Pasadena touring the pre-Rose Parade crowds (though it was Bryant who volunteered to actually sleep on the sidewalk to save our seats).

This year's, though, which I spent out in Loma Linda with Deanna, was one of my favorites yet. We spent the afternoon shopping, drinking coffee, and talking (Deanna came up with the idea to drive to Vegas to visit a couple of high school classmates this weekend) in the sunshine slanting in over the mountains. In the evening, we made and ate dinner (fettucine alfredo with broccoli, zucchini, carrots and mushrooms), and then talked our way through a couple of movies (as Deanna pointed out, we spent the evening with two of the hottest men out there--Daniel Craig and Brad Pitt!) before watching the "live" broadcast of the ball dropping in Times Square and then going to bed. Deanna had to work at 7:00, so I left when she did and was back out to the desert in time for breakfast (one without coffee (instant,* in these parts); I think I'll try breaking my addiction while I'm out here with the sunshine to comfort me and no early classes to make). It was a lovely holiday.

Speaking of the holiday, I've put together an album of pictures from when the family was together. Joel flew in on Tuesday just a couple of hours before I did, and April and Chris arrived the next morning. Those two flew back to Seattle Christmas evening, but Joel got to stay through Friday evening. Here are a few of the highlights:




I'm here for another two and a half weeks--although I did respond to an e-mail from the professor for whom I'll be TAing this semester that I can look at changing my reservation if she needs me before the 22nd. It was 70 here today (60 degrees warmer than Minneapolis's high...), so I'm hoping she doesn't.

*If the real stuff is unavailable, I recommend the individually sealed teabag-style "singles," which stay fresh and taste pretty good.

Year in review

Stolen from Mandy.

1) Where did you begin 2007?
Pasadena, at the Rose Parade!

2) What was your status by Valentine's Day?
Cozy.

3) Did you travel?
From California back to Minnesota by way of Vancouver, Bellingham, Port Orchard, Walla Walla, and Boise; to California and then Chicago for my summer job training; to the Boundary Waters; to Seattle and Walla Walla; back to California for Christmas.

4) Did you lose someone or something you love?
Yep.

5) Did you have to go to the hospital?
Yes--seven stitches in my chin!

6) Did you have any encounters with the police?
Yes, although thankfully it was the cute officer who gave me a ride during the above adventure.

7) Did you start dating someone new?
Nope.

8) What did you purchase that was over $1000?
No objects... a whole lot of rent, though.

9) Did you know anybody who got married?
My cousin Trisha. Weirdly enough, I can't remember anybody else.

10) Did you get in any car accidents?
Nope!

11) Did you attend any sporting events?
Roller derby counts, right?

12) Did you move anywhere?
No, thank goodness.

13) Did you keep your new year's resolution?
I don't think I made any.

14) What concerts/shows did you go to?
Story of the Sea, Andrew Bird. Is it possible that's all??

15) What movies did you go see in the theater?
Darjeeling Limited, Inland Empire, Pirates III, Reign Over Me, Stranger Than Fiction, Once, Ocean's 13, Sicko, Ratatouille. Those are the ones I can remember (with help from this list.)

16) Did your hair color change?
Boxed red a time or two. I went quite short several times, too.

17) Did you get any taller?
Nope.

18) Describe your birthday?
'Threw myself and two other birthday girls a party at my place. Lots of food and friends and good times!

19) Did you get any new pets?
One new houseplant, but still unnamed.

20) What has been your favorite moment?
There were lots of non-epic ones. Driving through Montana with Bryant. Sitting in the hotel parking lot for hours, telling stories with friends I'd met during my summer job training. Many six-mile runs around the lakes with my neighbor. The Bear Water Run. Finishing the TCM, and being greeted by a bunch of friends. Having Paul and Teri visit. Pretty much every day since, and including, last Tuesday.

21) What's something you learned about yourself?
I believe in working out problems by talking about them, but not everyone does.

22) What has been your biggest worry?
My own competence and ability--as a teacher, scholar, and partner.

23) What was your best month?
May was pretty awesome, but December's probably taking the cake so far.

24) What music will you remember 2007 by?
The playlist on the Marathonator and Musk Ox.

25) Who has been your best drinking buddy?
Probably Sarah.

26) Have you had to call the police on anyone?
No.

27) Have you gone skiing?
Snowboarding, at Bogus Basin in Idaho.

28) Did you miss work due to illness?
Not a day.

29) Any like/love interests?
The usual.

30) Get anything new?
I got a new (to me) bike after mine was stolen. And a new bed, and bedding, and curtains!

Two days

My mom called tonight as a friend and I were waiting in line to see the animated holiday display on the eighth floor of the Macy's downtown. This year the theme was the Nutcracker; last year it was Mary Poppins. Outside, downtown had been surprisingly empty (the crowds apparently having disappeared along with the Holidazzle parade; when the sun sets at 4:00, 8:00 feels like the middle of the night), but very festive under the snow and twinkling white lights.

When I answered the phone, my mom said, "Two days!"

Southern California won't feel very Christmas-y in any traditional sense, but, as Mandy so eloquently described in a recent post on her blog, it's not the weather or the landscape that makes going home for Christmas so special.

Then again, it's no great secret that even though we may have warmed up to the 20s this week, and even though I'd love my family wherever they lived, I am so glad that on Tuesday I'll be flying to the desert, and away from the tundra.

(Does blogging mean I'm done with The Manifesto? Not exactly! I've reached (exceeded, but only slightly) the length requirement, but am so sick of myself at this point that I'm going to leave the final edit for morning.)

Gambi, libri, gatti

So this morning I finally had my appointment at Student Health to see one of the sports docs about the leg that's been bugging me since the marathon. After listening to my symptoms and examining my legs, his diagnosis was a stress fracture, but he ordered a couple of X-rays to attempt to confirm. One on of them, he was able to point out a slight bump that he thought indicated "a nicely healing stress fracture" (it's been six weeks, after all). It turns out I did everything right as far as treatment--ice and ibuprofen early on, and then no running since the injury--but there's not really anything else I can do now, except to continue to stay off it. His recommendation was to avoid running until at least the first of the year, which, sadly, rules out Phoenix (and means I'll have to come up with some other way to deal with my SAD this winter).

Biking's still okay, though, and tonight I rode to the downtown library, for the first time in ages. Nicollet Mall is the main shopping drag downtown, with wide sidewalks and only two lanes of traffic, restricted to buses.* All the lights and Christmas decorations are up, and the crowds were out. Apparently the Holidazzle parades start this Friday night; I didn't go last year, but maybe this year I'll check it out. I returned home with the fourth, fifth and sixth H.P. books ('finished the last of #3 Monday morning), and Chelsey's right: the third book was definitely written for more mature readers, including its length--and the three I picked up tonight are veritable tomes. Today was my last day of classes until next Tuesday, so although I do plan to get lots of French done and get substantial starts on my final take-home essay exam and research paper in Art of Islamic Iran, I think a bit of escapism is also in order; I won't be traveling anywhere for Thanksgiving, so this will suffice.

Finally, my department is convinced I need a cat. My friend Paul, genuinely concerned, asked me a few weeks ago,"How will you survive graduate school without a cat?" Especially with the recent mice ordeal (I don't think I mentioned that as of Wednesday, my body count is up to a nice, round 10;** I'll spare you the details), a cat is sounding better and better. "Do cats need it to be warm?" I asked Anna. "Because my apartment can get a little cold."
"No--they have fur!" she responded. Then a few minutes later, she asked, "...How cold?" I can't really leave the heat machine on while I'm not home, but I don't think a kitty would freeze in my apartment. I'm on the second floor, after all--and the mice are doing fine.

My main worry, truthfully, is that I'm too neurotic for a cat. I'm not sure I can deal with being responsible for another life or sharing my space with one. And I'm slightly allergic. And poor. And don't like being covered in hair. And don't want to deal with messes or health problems or bad smells. But... it would be awfully nice to have a warm body to come home to.

*Including the city's new green hybrid buses.
** When she sees a couple where one is tall and skinny and the other is round, my friend says, "That's what I like to call 'the number 10.'"

"Home... home is where you wear your hat..."*

So, Bryant and I are back in Minneapolis after quite a lot of traveling and the having of good times. We spent Christmas and the next week at my parents' in the desert; Christmas day (shown here) was 72 degrees and sunny, and the day we left was 78 and similarly beautiful.

One highlight of the California time (and also accentuated by sunshine) was the Rose Parade New Year's Day in Pasadena. My cousins make a tradition of going--reserving seats on the same corner, where you can see both the front, side, and back of the float, 24 hours in advance and then guarding them until parade time--but I don't even recall having watched it on TV. It was pretty spectacular.

After California, we drove north, hitching a ride with Bryant's mom in Vancouver to the Wonders' apartment in Bellingham. Saturday we went snow-shoeing (my first time) at Mt. Baker with their puffball of a new puppy, Sebastian. Sunny and Colleen taught me how to crochet; here Sunny is modeling one of the Seuss-esque mittens that evolved from these newfound skills.

Colleen dropped Bryant and I off on the trip south so that we could spend some time with my siblings, and the next morning the two of us took the train from Tacoma to Vancouver. I'm totally sold. We got a deal on our tickets (less than $30 for both of us), so it cost only a little more than driving. Plus, the views were better, there was more leg room, there was no driving stress, and we could get up and walk around. Brilliant.

After Vancouver, we drove to Walla Walla and stayed at Teri's inimitable bed-and-breakfast. Ted and Heather introduced us to their cat Penelope, Guitar Hero, and Terry Pratchett, among other things.

The next morning we headed east, stopping in Caldwell to see the Kings' house and animals and then dining with them in Boise. We spent the night with Tammy and Carissa, and the next day went snowboarding at Bogus Basin. I had more fun than was good for me... and my bruises have mostly healed.

The next two days, we just drove. Montana and North Dakota are two incredibly long states--and I was glad Bryant drove through the majority of the snow we encountered. We arrived in Minneapolis at about 10:30 Saturday night.

There were no classes today, but tomorrow it all starts back up again. Last night it snowed about four inches, and today's high was eleven degrees. I keep trying to remind myself that I love art history, that I love being in school, that I actually generally enjoy the Twin Cities, and that I chose this punishment path. I'm afraid I'm going to have to start running again, though, to make it through this winter, which is a daunting prospect indeed.

I feel spoiled after getting to see so many great people, eating so much delicious food, and getting so much sleep and sunshine over the past few weeks--and, predictably, I haven't had enough. Hopefully, it will be enough to get me through.

P.S. I straightened my hair over break, and since I didn't include any pictures last time, I'm posting this one, which is unfortunately the best I've got. This photo, along with all the others here, is courtesy of Bryant.

* "...I feel so breakup, I wanna go home. "