I felt like the weekend went way to fast this time around. Well, it always goes way to fast, but Mark and I were so busy that this past weekend seemed to go by faster than usual.
On Friday night Mark’s friend Tim and his girlfriend Kate came over for some drinks and to go to dinner. We’ve hung out with Tim and Kate hundreds of times, but never just the four of us. The original plan was to head out and have a couple of drinks at our house and then go to Buca di Beppo for dinner. When we got to Buca, though, the wait for a table was an hour and a half. So we decided to grab some take out and go back home. Tim and Kate had brought over a good bottle of wine and we just had a great time relaxing and chatting for the night.
Saturday morning Mark and I did some stuff around the house before deciding to rent a movie and just relax for the afternoon. Mark had only gotten about four hours of sleep on Friday night, so he was pretty exhausted by about 1:00. We rented Elizabethtown, which I didn’t like very much. I thought that it was going to be a good story about two people falling in love, but it was about something different I guess. It was way too much like Jerry MaGuire. But it was a nice way to spend the afternoon.
Saturday night Mark went to dinner with Jason and Mitch. Mark works with those two guys, and once a month they go out for a nice dinner at a different restaurant to explore the city a bit. On Saturday they went to Zelo and then came back to our house to watch a boxing match. I, of course, decided it was another great opportunity to have a girls’ night, so I called Megan and Kristin. I unfortunately don’t get to see either of those girls nearly as much as I’d like to, so it was so fantastic to get a night with just the three of us. We started out the night at my place with a nice glass of wine, and then headed out to Taste for a bottle of Rosado and some tapas. We spent a good couple of hours there just catching up and enjoying each other’s company. After that we headed to the Rock Bottom Brewery for some Spicy Spinach Cheese Dip and some Nachos before heading home for the night. I have done some really fun things in the past few weeks, but Saturday night was one of the best. Sometimes all it takes is a couple of good friends, some wine and a free-flowing conversation to make the best of nights.
Sunday morning I got up for my run, and then Mark and I had a day to ourselves. We got new cell phones, did some grocery shopping, made dinner and watched Grey’s Anatomy. Although we got to spend the day together, we still feel like we didn’t get to spend enough time together this weekend. That’s what happens when you work separate schedules. You learn how to deal with it, but you never really stop missing the other person.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Week Two Tri Training
Week two went a lot better than week one. Although I didn't stick exactly to the schedule, I did most of the workouts and felt great all week because of it. It's a lot easier to eat healthy throughout the day when you know that you worked hard in the morning.
Monday morning was a bit of a slow start to the week. I woke up early to do a morning run on the treadmill. It's really hard to me to run on the treadmill because I think it's SO boring! Even though I had my Ipod, I was still bored by mile two. If I run outside I can at least see other people and other things. So it was hard to have motivation Monday morning, but I did run for 20 minutes and speed walk for 10 minutes.
Tuesday was a swim day. I had plans for a one woman Olympic party that night (just me, a Lean Cuisine, a wine cooler and the ladies figure skating short program - what could be better?). After work I was going to head to the gym to swim, but I thought that I'd head home and just swim there. Not such a good idea. The pool here at our apartment is so small that by the time I did two strokes of the crawl, I was at the end of the pool. I did a 30-minute swim, but I did feel like it wasn't the most efficient work out ever. At least I got out there.
Wednesday was the best work out of the week. I had my cycle team training, and we did our first tri brick. A brick is when you alternate between two events, doing a short, hard push for each event. We did cycle and running, and it was really hard! We would run for 10 minutes, then spin for 10 minutes, and then back to running. We did that for over an hour. After that, we worked on core training for about a half hour. I got home and my abs hurt so much it was hard to even sit down.
Thursday I didn't work out. Usually I swim with the team on Thursday nights, but the finals for the figure skating were on and I didn't want to miss it. I know, it's a really bad reason to skip a work out, but I felt like I had worked hard the beginning of the week that I deserved a break. Plus, the Olympics are only on every four years! I think that's an ok excuse...
Friday morning I got up early and biked downstairs in the gym for 30 minutes. It wasn't the work out I was hoping for. We don't have spin bikes here, so I didn't feel like I was truly doing training. But I suppose that the fact that I got up and did anything at all is better than laying in bed for 45 more minutes. I am thinking about taking a spin class one night a week so that my two bike sessions a week are really hard and really make me push myself.
Saturday morning is the team run, but Mark and I had had people over for dinner and drinks the night before, so I wasn't feeling up to getting up early to run. At 7:00 AM it was a good idea to stay in bed, but I was angry with myself later in the day because that meant that I had to run on Sunday. I hate working out on Sundays. Plus, I don't like to miss two team training sessions in a week. I think it really helps to see everyone else trying really hard and pushing themselves.
So, Sunday morning came and I really didn't want to run, but I did it. And just to punish myself a little more for being lazy on Saturday, I ran outside. It was about 18 degrees out. I got all bundled up in my great running gear, and as soon as I hit the cold air I was ready to go. I was pumped up and energized and excited to be out there running and getting my body going.
Every week I try to set a goal for myself in additional to my work out goals. This week my goal dealt with eating at work. If you work in an office, you know that for some reason crap food always seems to appear. Brownies, cookies, cake, you name it. Pretty much every day something new appears in my office. And I can't help the sweets - I LOVE them. I don't just have a sweet tooth - my whole upper row of teeth is sweet. So, my goal this week was to eat nothing at work. No sweets, no crap food, nothing extra. And I did it. I didn't have anything extra at all. It was so hard! When everyone else was taking cookies in the Monday morning staff meeting, I didn't have anything. When my boss bought scones for us all, I said "No, thank you". When we had popsicles and ice cream for the monthly birthday celebration, I didn't touch it. I was so proud of myself. I overcame my office sweet teeth, and it felt so good. When Friday afternoon came and I knew that I had reached my goal, I think that I did a little dance. It feels so good to set a goal for yourself and realize that you've actually reached the goal.
I think that my goal for this next week is going to be to continue with my no sweets at work rule and also to focus on water intake. I am usually really great about water intake the first part of the week, and then I lose for some reason by Friday I'm not drinking any at all during the day. My goal is to drink two Nalgene bottles full every day.
Overall, I had a great week and felt wonderful with how I performed. Next week I'm going to try to find a spin class to attend weekly as well as a yoga class to increase my core strength.
Don't forget to check out my fundraising web site (and maybe donate, too...) by using the link to the right.
Monday morning was a bit of a slow start to the week. I woke up early to do a morning run on the treadmill. It's really hard to me to run on the treadmill because I think it's SO boring! Even though I had my Ipod, I was still bored by mile two. If I run outside I can at least see other people and other things. So it was hard to have motivation Monday morning, but I did run for 20 minutes and speed walk for 10 minutes.
Tuesday was a swim day. I had plans for a one woman Olympic party that night (just me, a Lean Cuisine, a wine cooler and the ladies figure skating short program - what could be better?). After work I was going to head to the gym to swim, but I thought that I'd head home and just swim there. Not such a good idea. The pool here at our apartment is so small that by the time I did two strokes of the crawl, I was at the end of the pool. I did a 30-minute swim, but I did feel like it wasn't the most efficient work out ever. At least I got out there.
Wednesday was the best work out of the week. I had my cycle team training, and we did our first tri brick. A brick is when you alternate between two events, doing a short, hard push for each event. We did cycle and running, and it was really hard! We would run for 10 minutes, then spin for 10 minutes, and then back to running. We did that for over an hour. After that, we worked on core training for about a half hour. I got home and my abs hurt so much it was hard to even sit down.
Thursday I didn't work out. Usually I swim with the team on Thursday nights, but the finals for the figure skating were on and I didn't want to miss it. I know, it's a really bad reason to skip a work out, but I felt like I had worked hard the beginning of the week that I deserved a break. Plus, the Olympics are only on every four years! I think that's an ok excuse...
Friday morning I got up early and biked downstairs in the gym for 30 minutes. It wasn't the work out I was hoping for. We don't have spin bikes here, so I didn't feel like I was truly doing training. But I suppose that the fact that I got up and did anything at all is better than laying in bed for 45 more minutes. I am thinking about taking a spin class one night a week so that my two bike sessions a week are really hard and really make me push myself.
Saturday morning is the team run, but Mark and I had had people over for dinner and drinks the night before, so I wasn't feeling up to getting up early to run. At 7:00 AM it was a good idea to stay in bed, but I was angry with myself later in the day because that meant that I had to run on Sunday. I hate working out on Sundays. Plus, I don't like to miss two team training sessions in a week. I think it really helps to see everyone else trying really hard and pushing themselves.
So, Sunday morning came and I really didn't want to run, but I did it. And just to punish myself a little more for being lazy on Saturday, I ran outside. It was about 18 degrees out. I got all bundled up in my great running gear, and as soon as I hit the cold air I was ready to go. I was pumped up and energized and excited to be out there running and getting my body going.
Every week I try to set a goal for myself in additional to my work out goals. This week my goal dealt with eating at work. If you work in an office, you know that for some reason crap food always seems to appear. Brownies, cookies, cake, you name it. Pretty much every day something new appears in my office. And I can't help the sweets - I LOVE them. I don't just have a sweet tooth - my whole upper row of teeth is sweet. So, my goal this week was to eat nothing at work. No sweets, no crap food, nothing extra. And I did it. I didn't have anything extra at all. It was so hard! When everyone else was taking cookies in the Monday morning staff meeting, I didn't have anything. When my boss bought scones for us all, I said "No, thank you". When we had popsicles and ice cream for the monthly birthday celebration, I didn't touch it. I was so proud of myself. I overcame my office sweet teeth, and it felt so good. When Friday afternoon came and I knew that I had reached my goal, I think that I did a little dance. It feels so good to set a goal for yourself and realize that you've actually reached the goal.
I think that my goal for this next week is going to be to continue with my no sweets at work rule and also to focus on water intake. I am usually really great about water intake the first part of the week, and then I lose for some reason by Friday I'm not drinking any at all during the day. My goal is to drink two Nalgene bottles full every day.
Overall, I had a great week and felt wonderful with how I performed. Next week I'm going to try to find a spin class to attend weekly as well as a yoga class to increase my core strength.
Don't forget to check out my fundraising web site (and maybe donate, too...) by using the link to the right.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
We're Moving...
On February 15, I came home to find a letter stuck into my door frame. It was from the apartment management, and it gave information on our new lease term. Our lease is up on April 30, so I was expecting the new rent information to come at some point. I did not, however, expect that the apartment management would increase our rent through the roof!
Mark and I currently have a one bedroom, 650 sq. foot apartment in downtown Minneapolis. We live on the 20th floor, and have an amazing view of the city from our living room. The building has great amenities, like a pool, workout room, sauna and whirlpool. We have had some problems, though. For Mark alone, the apartment size was great. Perfect for a single guy with a minimalist take on design. But for two of us? I feel a little like a sardine. I haven't had more than three hot showers in the morning in four weeks. Mark has had numerous nights where he'd come home from work at 4:00 AM and not have a place to park - in the parking lot that we pay for. So, we had talked about moving sometime in July or August. We have a lot of things going on between April and June, and thought it would just be easier to wait it out for a couple of months.
Not so much.
Apparently, our management decided that the apartment is worth much more now than it was a year ago. If Mark and I decide to stay an entire year and sign a new 12-month lease, our rent would increase $200. However, if we decided not to sign a new lease and instead to become month-to-month tenants, our rent would increase $250 plus a monthly fee of $100 for being temporary tenants, for a grand total of $350 a month. For all the issues we were having with the apartment, we weren't having that.
So, we decided to take on the endeavour of apartment searching. We looked online for three days straight, and I set up a few appointments to see some places. The first place we saw was an older building in the Warehouse District in Minneapolis. We walked in and it was old, small, and overall horrible. It had character - high ceilings, exposed brick and beams, old neighborhood. But the appliances were from the 50s. The carpet kinda smelled. The bathroom was mold covered. Due to my temporary insanity of being terrified that we'd never find a place, however, I loved it. Mark had a pretty fun time with me losing my mind, but was very calm and supportive the entire time. We moved on to the second place.
The second place was the Highland Ridge apartments in Highland Park, which is a neighborhood in St. Paul. Now, to those of you who don't live in the Twin Cities, you probably think that there is no difference between the cities. It's just one big city, really, with a river running down the middle. How wrong you are. The two cities are just as different as if they were on opposite sides of the country. Minneapolis is young, hip, trendy, and modern. St. Paul is older, more charming, and quiet. Minneapolis is chaotic. St. Paul is calming. I have lived in Minneapolis my entire life as a Minnesotan, and the idea of moving to St. Paul scared me a little at first. Mark of course had a much easier time with the idea - his home town is much closer to St. Paul and he spent many days and nights playing around the city of St. Paul with his parents. Plus, he works in St. Paul. So, I was a little reluctant to look at the next place, but I wanted to give any and every apartment a chance.
And I am SO glad that I did.
We loved this place. I mean, LOVED it. It was perfect. We walked into the lobby, where a large marble fountain welcomes you. As we walked throughout the building, we saw the pool (twice the size of the pool in our building now), the workout room, sauna, whirlpool, aerobics room (they have yoga and aerobics for their residents, free of charge), a game room, a community room. It was amazing! The building was beautiful. We finally got to the apartment itself. It was a two bedroom, two bathroom, 1010 square foot apartment with a private balcony. We walked in, and immediately fell in love. The kitchen and living room have a great flow together that leads you down the hallway to the bathroom, extra bedroom and master suite. Yeah that's right, master suite! We were both floored. Here's some pics:
The pictures of course don't do it justice, but it's wonderful. You can read all about the place here.
We told the woman right then that we loved it, and wanted it. We got a 24-hour hold on it, and I was back within 20 hours to pay our deposit and submit our applications.
So, St. Paul, here we come! I'm really excited about the new challenges and adventures that come not only with moving to a new home but moving to an all new area. I have great things to explore - like where's the bank and grocery story and movie theater? And what is the best biking and running routes? I'm really thrilled about it! And Mark even made me a deal - I get to decorate the master suite, bathrooms and living room if he can have the extra bedroom. Heck yeah! I have a feeling, though, that Mark's Swingers poster will now have a home...
Mark and I currently have a one bedroom, 650 sq. foot apartment in downtown Minneapolis. We live on the 20th floor, and have an amazing view of the city from our living room. The building has great amenities, like a pool, workout room, sauna and whirlpool. We have had some problems, though. For Mark alone, the apartment size was great. Perfect for a single guy with a minimalist take on design. But for two of us? I feel a little like a sardine. I haven't had more than three hot showers in the morning in four weeks. Mark has had numerous nights where he'd come home from work at 4:00 AM and not have a place to park - in the parking lot that we pay for. So, we had talked about moving sometime in July or August. We have a lot of things going on between April and June, and thought it would just be easier to wait it out for a couple of months.
Not so much.
Apparently, our management decided that the apartment is worth much more now than it was a year ago. If Mark and I decide to stay an entire year and sign a new 12-month lease, our rent would increase $200. However, if we decided not to sign a new lease and instead to become month-to-month tenants, our rent would increase $250 plus a monthly fee of $100 for being temporary tenants, for a grand total of $350 a month. For all the issues we were having with the apartment, we weren't having that.
So, we decided to take on the endeavour of apartment searching. We looked online for three days straight, and I set up a few appointments to see some places. The first place we saw was an older building in the Warehouse District in Minneapolis. We walked in and it was old, small, and overall horrible. It had character - high ceilings, exposed brick and beams, old neighborhood. But the appliances were from the 50s. The carpet kinda smelled. The bathroom was mold covered. Due to my temporary insanity of being terrified that we'd never find a place, however, I loved it. Mark had a pretty fun time with me losing my mind, but was very calm and supportive the entire time. We moved on to the second place.
The second place was the Highland Ridge apartments in Highland Park, which is a neighborhood in St. Paul. Now, to those of you who don't live in the Twin Cities, you probably think that there is no difference between the cities. It's just one big city, really, with a river running down the middle. How wrong you are. The two cities are just as different as if they were on opposite sides of the country. Minneapolis is young, hip, trendy, and modern. St. Paul is older, more charming, and quiet. Minneapolis is chaotic. St. Paul is calming. I have lived in Minneapolis my entire life as a Minnesotan, and the idea of moving to St. Paul scared me a little at first. Mark of course had a much easier time with the idea - his home town is much closer to St. Paul and he spent many days and nights playing around the city of St. Paul with his parents. Plus, he works in St. Paul. So, I was a little reluctant to look at the next place, but I wanted to give any and every apartment a chance.
And I am SO glad that I did.
We loved this place. I mean, LOVED it. It was perfect. We walked into the lobby, where a large marble fountain welcomes you. As we walked throughout the building, we saw the pool (twice the size of the pool in our building now), the workout room, sauna, whirlpool, aerobics room (they have yoga and aerobics for their residents, free of charge), a game room, a community room. It was amazing! The building was beautiful. We finally got to the apartment itself. It was a two bedroom, two bathroom, 1010 square foot apartment with a private balcony. We walked in, and immediately fell in love. The kitchen and living room have a great flow together that leads you down the hallway to the bathroom, extra bedroom and master suite. Yeah that's right, master suite! We were both floored. Here's some pics:
The pictures of course don't do it justice, but it's wonderful. You can read all about the place here.
We told the woman right then that we loved it, and wanted it. We got a 24-hour hold on it, and I was back within 20 hours to pay our deposit and submit our applications.
So, St. Paul, here we come! I'm really excited about the new challenges and adventures that come not only with moving to a new home but moving to an all new area. I have great things to explore - like where's the bank and grocery story and movie theater? And what is the best biking and running routes? I'm really thrilled about it! And Mark even made me a deal - I get to decorate the master suite, bathrooms and living room if he can have the extra bedroom. Heck yeah! I have a feeling, though, that Mark's Swingers poster will now have a home...
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Week One Tri Training
So I'm going to try to post every Sunday night about the pervious week's triathlon training just to keep you all in the loop. This past week was the first official week of training, and I'm mildly proud of myself. I think that I could have pushed harder and worked more, but for the first week it's pretty good.
I ran Monday night, even though the schedule didn't require it. I really wanted to get a good physical start to my week. I ran hard for 30 minutes, and then did a 5 minute cool down run. It felt so good to run for the 30 minutes! It was cold outside, and I don't like to run outside at night alone, so I ran on the treadmill. Running indoors isn't as fun, but I pushed myself to do it anyway. I ran almost three miles. I know, not the best mile time, but I am just starting out...
Tuesday I skipped a work out, as the schedule stated. It was a nice rest for Valentine's Day.
Wednesday was our first group cycle training session. The session was held in St. Louis Park at the Bally Total Fitness. I figured that I was an intermediate biker, so I went with the first group. I'm really glad that I pushed myself up to that class, because it was really hard - but the good kind of hard. We rode the bikes for 30 minutes, and then did our coach's version of a mini boot camp. We worked our abs, butts and thighs for 45 minutes after the bikes. By the end of the night, we could barely walk. But it felt so good to work my body like that. It always reinstates my enthusiasm for my goal when I have a powerful workout.
Thursday was our first group swim training session. I wasn't sure whether to go with the beginners or the intermediate class. I can swim, but my form is horrible and I didn't know how long I could swim without stopping. I decided to go with the beginner’s class, and I'm SO glad that I did! The work out was so hard! We started with drills that help us learn the different important aspects of triathlon swimming: use your upper body strength, flutter kick with the legs to conserve leg muscles for the bike and run, breathe every four strokes if possible, etc. We did the drills for about 30 minutes. And then it was time to put those things together to try our bodies at the freestyle stroke. We were told to do four laps (one lap is down and back, by the way), going easy on the way down and then really swimming hard on the way back. I thought, four laps is nothing! During the actual tri I have to swim the equivalent of 32 laps. Four laps damn near killed me. I was winded. My form was lost. And then the coach told us to take a 10 second breather, and do it again. By lap 8 all I could think was I'm going to drown in this damn pool in St. Paul. They'll have to call my mom and tell her that her 23-year-old drown in a pool. But alas, I did it. And when I finished, I actually felt really good. The thing with swimming is that it can be learned. If you aren't a good swimmer at the start, you can learn the form and breathing and eventually get better at it. So, I'm motivated to keep trying and keep working at it until I can swim those 32 laps without a second thought.
Saturday mornings is usually our group run, but due to the 10 BELOW ZERO temp, it was cancelled. And because I ran on Monday and didn't need to, I let myself sleep in and relax a bit. It was much appreciated by me.
So, next week is when the real hard schedule starts. Six days a week of working out, two sessions for each of the three events. I'm going to try my best to follow the schedule and have focused workouts so that my body gets used to the work. But overall, I feel happy with my first week of training, and I'm really looking forward to next week's challenges.
Don't forget to visit my fundraising link to the left, and donate if you can!
I ran Monday night, even though the schedule didn't require it. I really wanted to get a good physical start to my week. I ran hard for 30 minutes, and then did a 5 minute cool down run. It felt so good to run for the 30 minutes! It was cold outside, and I don't like to run outside at night alone, so I ran on the treadmill. Running indoors isn't as fun, but I pushed myself to do it anyway. I ran almost three miles. I know, not the best mile time, but I am just starting out...
Tuesday I skipped a work out, as the schedule stated. It was a nice rest for Valentine's Day.
Wednesday was our first group cycle training session. The session was held in St. Louis Park at the Bally Total Fitness. I figured that I was an intermediate biker, so I went with the first group. I'm really glad that I pushed myself up to that class, because it was really hard - but the good kind of hard. We rode the bikes for 30 minutes, and then did our coach's version of a mini boot camp. We worked our abs, butts and thighs for 45 minutes after the bikes. By the end of the night, we could barely walk. But it felt so good to work my body like that. It always reinstates my enthusiasm for my goal when I have a powerful workout.
Thursday was our first group swim training session. I wasn't sure whether to go with the beginners or the intermediate class. I can swim, but my form is horrible and I didn't know how long I could swim without stopping. I decided to go with the beginner’s class, and I'm SO glad that I did! The work out was so hard! We started with drills that help us learn the different important aspects of triathlon swimming: use your upper body strength, flutter kick with the legs to conserve leg muscles for the bike and run, breathe every four strokes if possible, etc. We did the drills for about 30 minutes. And then it was time to put those things together to try our bodies at the freestyle stroke. We were told to do four laps (one lap is down and back, by the way), going easy on the way down and then really swimming hard on the way back. I thought, four laps is nothing! During the actual tri I have to swim the equivalent of 32 laps. Four laps damn near killed me. I was winded. My form was lost. And then the coach told us to take a 10 second breather, and do it again. By lap 8 all I could think was I'm going to drown in this damn pool in St. Paul. They'll have to call my mom and tell her that her 23-year-old drown in a pool. But alas, I did it. And when I finished, I actually felt really good. The thing with swimming is that it can be learned. If you aren't a good swimmer at the start, you can learn the form and breathing and eventually get better at it. So, I'm motivated to keep trying and keep working at it until I can swim those 32 laps without a second thought.
Saturday mornings is usually our group run, but due to the 10 BELOW ZERO temp, it was cancelled. And because I ran on Monday and didn't need to, I let myself sleep in and relax a bit. It was much appreciated by me.
So, next week is when the real hard schedule starts. Six days a week of working out, two sessions for each of the three events. I'm going to try my best to follow the schedule and have focused workouts so that my body gets used to the work. But overall, I feel happy with my first week of training, and I'm really looking forward to next week's challenges.
Don't forget to visit my fundraising link to the left, and donate if you can!
Valentine's Day with Mark
Friday night Mark and I celebrated Valentine's Day because we didn't see each other on the actual V-day date. We had reservations for 7:00 PM at Amore Victoria, a new Italian restaurant on Lake Street in Uptown. I had driven past it a few times and really wanted to try it.
Mark and I had decided to make this year a small Valentine's Day celebration. Dinner and quality time together was to be our gift to each other. And maybe a nice card. On the morning of Valentine's Day, I had left a nice card with some Twizzlers (his favorite candy) and just one red rose for him on the table to that when he got home from work he had a little surprise waiting. Nothing big, but a little something to make him feel special.
On my way home from work, Mark called and told me to call him when I got off of the elevator on our floor. I did, and he came out to meet me in the elevator lobby with a glass of wine and a kiss. Then he led me into the living room, where I was instructed to sit on the couch and not look around at all. I sat down on one couch and Mark sat on the other, holding his guitar. He started playing a song, and I didn't immediately know what song it was. But after a few chords I realized that it was True Companion, by Marc Cohn. He had spent all day Friday learning the song on the guitar, and played the whole song for me.
The funny, and very cute, part of this story is that I had heard this song last weekend during the car ride home from WI. When I got home to MN, I told Mark that he should learn that song and surprise me by playing it at our wedding (which, by the way, is in like 3 years). He laughed at the fact that I would tell him what surprise to do for me. So that fact that he quickly learned the song and played it for me as my gift was so sweet. After he finished the song, he gave me half a dozen red roses as well. It was the perfect gift.
After the song and flowers I quickly got ready and we headed out into the freezing air for dinner. The restaurant was very cute inside. The air and ambiance reminded me of a Tuscan villa renovated into a corner bistro. Ok, I've never actually been to Tuscany, so I've never actually seen a Tuscan villa. But hey, for all I know the place was EXACTLY like a Tuscan villa.
Moving on...
The food was good. I had Eggplant Florentina with a glass of Chianti Classico. The eggplant was good, although it was a bit rich. A thick layer of ricotta cheese was spread over the eggplant, which was then placed on a bed of pasta with spinach leaves. Mark had a pork tenderloin pasta dish that was so good. It had tenderloin with proscuitto in a white wine sauce. For dessert, we split a piece of decadent chocolate cake and a piece of tiramisu.
It was too cold to do anything else, so we came home and enjoyed a thrilling game of Yahtzee. It was a nice Valentine's Day evening with my sweetie.
Mark and I had decided to make this year a small Valentine's Day celebration. Dinner and quality time together was to be our gift to each other. And maybe a nice card. On the morning of Valentine's Day, I had left a nice card with some Twizzlers (his favorite candy) and just one red rose for him on the table to that when he got home from work he had a little surprise waiting. Nothing big, but a little something to make him feel special.
On my way home from work, Mark called and told me to call him when I got off of the elevator on our floor. I did, and he came out to meet me in the elevator lobby with a glass of wine and a kiss. Then he led me into the living room, where I was instructed to sit on the couch and not look around at all. I sat down on one couch and Mark sat on the other, holding his guitar. He started playing a song, and I didn't immediately know what song it was. But after a few chords I realized that it was True Companion, by Marc Cohn. He had spent all day Friday learning the song on the guitar, and played the whole song for me.
The funny, and very cute, part of this story is that I had heard this song last weekend during the car ride home from WI. When I got home to MN, I told Mark that he should learn that song and surprise me by playing it at our wedding (which, by the way, is in like 3 years). He laughed at the fact that I would tell him what surprise to do for me. So that fact that he quickly learned the song and played it for me as my gift was so sweet. After he finished the song, he gave me half a dozen red roses as well. It was the perfect gift.
After the song and flowers I quickly got ready and we headed out into the freezing air for dinner. The restaurant was very cute inside. The air and ambiance reminded me of a Tuscan villa renovated into a corner bistro. Ok, I've never actually been to Tuscany, so I've never actually seen a Tuscan villa. But hey, for all I know the place was EXACTLY like a Tuscan villa.
Moving on...
The food was good. I had Eggplant Florentina with a glass of Chianti Classico. The eggplant was good, although it was a bit rich. A thick layer of ricotta cheese was spread over the eggplant, which was then placed on a bed of pasta with spinach leaves. Mark had a pork tenderloin pasta dish that was so good. It had tenderloin with proscuitto in a white wine sauce. For dessert, we split a piece of decadent chocolate cake and a piece of tiramisu.
It was too cold to do anything else, so we came home and enjoyed a thrilling game of Yahtzee. It was a nice Valentine's Day evening with my sweetie.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Valentine's Day Crockpot Extravaganza
I think that along the way I may have mentioned that Mark works nights at the Ford Assembly Plant in St. Paul. He goes to work at about 4:00 PM and doesn’t return home until about 4:00 AM. So, there are times and holidays, such as Valentine’s Day, that we must put off our celebration until the weekend, leaving me to fend for myself on the actual date. I’ve pretty much gotten used to this over the years, so it doesn’t bother me anymore. Now I just plan fun things to do instead.
This year for Hallmark holiday of love, I asked Julie to be my Valentine, and she gladly accepted. After some debate on whether we should dine out or make dinner, we decided to make a meal entirely in our crockpots. My sister and her family had bought a crockpot for me for my birthday a couple of years ago, and Julie’s mom bought her two crockpots for Christmas this year. We have been searching the Internet for good recipes for crokpots since New Year’s. We decided it was time to put our crockpots to the test.
Julie had the responsibility of dinner, and I was in charge of dessert (of course). After trying out a couple of different recipes, Julie landed on her mom’s chili recipe. I found a recipe for hot caramel apples and was set to go.
So, on Valentine’s Day morning, I woke up (late) and made the caramel apples in the crockpot, and brought it over to Julie’s. We were going to run to her house (she lives three blocks from work) over the lunch hour to turn on the chili, and then return to her house at around 2:00 to turn on the apples. That way the chili would be ready to go right after work and the apples would ready a while afterward.
We went to the video store to pick up Cinderella Man. We weren’t sure of what to get, but we’d both wanted to see it. It was so good! Really a wonderful story about love and family and working hard and it was just great. I recommend it!
When we got to Julie’s to finally start eating, her house smelled amazing, between the simmering chili and the baking apples!
We got out the wine,
filled our bowls up with Fritos and chili and cheese (all intricately layered, of course),
and sat down to enjoy the movie.
The chili was SO GOOD! Just the right amount of spice to make your nose run, but not too much that you couldn’t taste the chili goodness. After a heaping bowl of it, we were both way to full to even think about the apples!
So the apples simmered a while longer. That’s really the beauty with the crockpot – if you aren’t quite ready to eat, it doesn’t matter! It’s pretty hard to mess things up with a crockpot. When the movie ended, we turned on Sex and the City and decided we had just enough room for dessert.
I was rather pleased with myself at how the apples turned out. I put each apple in a bowl with a little of the juices it was baking in, and put Redi-whip along the outside rim of the apple. The apples were nice and soft, without being soggy and gross. The caramel and brown sugar was oozing out of the apple. (You make these caramel apples by coring the apples and sticking a bunch of stuff right inside if, so it cooks from the inside out.) As full as we were after the chili, the apples were just delectable! We didn’t speak the entire time we ate them.
After a clean up of the kitchen and pots, I headed home to my empty house. I did have a wonderful note from Mark to read. It was so great to spend V-Day hanging out with a good friend instead of moping about alone. And we had such a good time hanging with the crockpots, that we’re going to make it a regular thing. Keep watch for the next recipe postings…
Up Next: My V-Day celebration with Mark.
This year for Hallmark holiday of love, I asked Julie to be my Valentine, and she gladly accepted. After some debate on whether we should dine out or make dinner, we decided to make a meal entirely in our crockpots. My sister and her family had bought a crockpot for me for my birthday a couple of years ago, and Julie’s mom bought her two crockpots for Christmas this year. We have been searching the Internet for good recipes for crokpots since New Year’s. We decided it was time to put our crockpots to the test.
Julie had the responsibility of dinner, and I was in charge of dessert (of course). After trying out a couple of different recipes, Julie landed on her mom’s chili recipe. I found a recipe for hot caramel apples and was set to go.
So, on Valentine’s Day morning, I woke up (late) and made the caramel apples in the crockpot, and brought it over to Julie’s. We were going to run to her house (she lives three blocks from work) over the lunch hour to turn on the chili, and then return to her house at around 2:00 to turn on the apples. That way the chili would be ready to go right after work and the apples would ready a while afterward.
We went to the video store to pick up Cinderella Man. We weren’t sure of what to get, but we’d both wanted to see it. It was so good! Really a wonderful story about love and family and working hard and it was just great. I recommend it!
When we got to Julie’s to finally start eating, her house smelled amazing, between the simmering chili and the baking apples!
We got out the wine,
filled our bowls up with Fritos and chili and cheese (all intricately layered, of course),
and sat down to enjoy the movie.
The chili was SO GOOD! Just the right amount of spice to make your nose run, but not too much that you couldn’t taste the chili goodness. After a heaping bowl of it, we were both way to full to even think about the apples!
So the apples simmered a while longer. That’s really the beauty with the crockpot – if you aren’t quite ready to eat, it doesn’t matter! It’s pretty hard to mess things up with a crockpot. When the movie ended, we turned on Sex and the City and decided we had just enough room for dessert.
I was rather pleased with myself at how the apples turned out. I put each apple in a bowl with a little of the juices it was baking in, and put Redi-whip along the outside rim of the apple. The apples were nice and soft, without being soggy and gross. The caramel and brown sugar was oozing out of the apple. (You make these caramel apples by coring the apples and sticking a bunch of stuff right inside if, so it cooks from the inside out.) As full as we were after the chili, the apples were just delectable! We didn’t speak the entire time we ate them.
After a clean up of the kitchen and pots, I headed home to my empty house. I did have a wonderful note from Mark to read. It was so great to spend V-Day hanging out with a good friend instead of moping about alone. And we had such a good time hanging with the crockpots, that we’re going to make it a regular thing. Keep watch for the next recipe postings…
Up Next: My V-Day celebration with Mark.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Word Cloud
So, I saw this first on Erin's blog and then on Christi's, and I had to check it out myself. It's so fun! This web site, Snapshirts.com, has a section that you can go on and plug in your blog to get a word cloud from your blog. Here's mine:
If you have a site, go check this out. It's fun!
If you have a site, go check this out. It's fun!
Monday, February 13, 2006
Weekend with Family
This past weekend, I made the long haul to southeastern WI to visit my family and friends. I try to get home every six to eight weeks to hang out with the fam - parents (Kath and Eric), sister (Nikki), brother-in-law (Pete), niece (Lexi) and nephew (Max). My family is really close, and as much as I love living in the Twin Cities, it's hard to be away from them sometimes. The kids are nine and five, and I love being part of their lives as they grow up.
I left the cities at about 3:00 PM on Friday afternoon and made really good time. It usually takes about 5 1/2 hours to get home, and I made it there by about 8:30 or so. The drive really sucked my energy though. My car doesn't have a CD player, and I lost my portable one, so I was subjected to the horrid music that clutters middle WI radio. Country. Lots and lots of country music. I hate country music. By the time I got home, I was pretty tired. So, the parents and I just hung out and chatted and watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Didn't see the opening ceremonies? Don't worry - you didn't miss much. Anything, really. They were really slow and a bit boring and really took all of the great athletic energy out of the games. Oh well.
Saturday was SUCH a busy day. My dad took me to the chiropractor to get me all aligned before my really tough training starts for the tri. That was great, but we had to leave the house at about 8:45 AM to get there in time for me to get adjusted and make it to White Fox Den for breakfast with my mom and Erin and her mom. No sleeping in for me. Oh well, it was worth it. I went to breakfast with the ladies, and we had such a good time. We always have a great time together. Erin and I have been friends for so long (since first grade), and our mom have been friends for almost as long, so it just feels so great to spend time with the four of us. Erin is like another sister, and her mom is like a second mom.
After breakfast, my mom and I did some bumming around town and went to see my grandma at the nursing home. She recently fell and broke her pelvis, so she has to be in the nursing home while she recovers. She looked so old to me. It was actually really hard for me to see her there. My mom and Nikki both said that she's doing really well and actually looks really good, but they see her all the time. When you don't see an older person, an older sick person at that, six weeks can do so much that a person who sees her every week doesn't see. I lvoe my grandma, and it's hard to think of a time when she won't be around. My grandpa died four years ago today actually, and it was so hard. We've always been so close to my grandparents. Ok, don't want to think about that anymore so I'm going to move on...
After visiting my grandma, we went to see Lexi's basketball game. Although she didn't score a basket and her team lost, she did a great job.
I played basketball when I was a littler older than her, and I was so bad at it. In four years of playing, I only got two baskets. I think. I may have blocked that out of my memory...
After the game, the whole fam went out to this job site that my dad is working on so he could show us this amazing house. It was snowing out, but it wasn't very cold. The house is way out in the woods, so we ran around like a bunch of idiots playing Man from Snowy River and hiking all over the woods. We worked up quite the appetite so we went to Upper Crust pizza in Pell Lake. My cousin Ashley met us there, too, since I haven't seen her since before Christmas either. This place is so cool - they have funny things hanging from every inch of the walls and ceilings. From a giant T-Rex to hammerhead sharks to airplanes to old license plates. It's really fun the play I Spy in this place.
After dinner, my parents and I headed into New Berlin to see Munich. I was so tired after the long day, but I really wanted to see the movie and thought it'd be a good way to relax. Not so much. This movie is amazingly powerful. It really sort of rips you apart and makes you question humanity and the state of the world as we've known it our entire lives. The thought that people have been fighting each other, mass murdering each other, for thousands of years is mind-blowing and eternally frightening. For those who don't know, this movie is about the violent aftermath of the Munich Olympic hostage and murder situation. Really, it's about the years old fued between the Palestinians and the Isrealis. It's makes you really think. My parents and I left the movie in silence, not really knowing how to react at that time. It's a great film, but it made me depressed at the state of our world. If you can't handle thinking about things outside your own life or bubble, don't see it.
Although amazing and powerful, I don't think this film will win Best Picture, by the way. I just don't see it coming.
Sunday morning, I woke up and hung out with my parents for a relaxing morning before making the trip back up to the cities. The drive was a lot better on Sunday than it had been on Friday. I think I just hate night driving. But I made even better time on the way back up, and I was home in plenty of time to spend time with Mark and watch the world's greatest TV show, Grey's Anatomy. Seriously, if you aren't wathcing this show, you're nuts. Watch it. Love it.
That's it for me for the weekend. This is going to be a really busy week - the intense tri training starts this week. I'm so excited about it!
Up Next: A Valentine's Day Crockpot Extravaganza
I left the cities at about 3:00 PM on Friday afternoon and made really good time. It usually takes about 5 1/2 hours to get home, and I made it there by about 8:30 or so. The drive really sucked my energy though. My car doesn't have a CD player, and I lost my portable one, so I was subjected to the horrid music that clutters middle WI radio. Country. Lots and lots of country music. I hate country music. By the time I got home, I was pretty tired. So, the parents and I just hung out and chatted and watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Didn't see the opening ceremonies? Don't worry - you didn't miss much. Anything, really. They were really slow and a bit boring and really took all of the great athletic energy out of the games. Oh well.
Saturday was SUCH a busy day. My dad took me to the chiropractor to get me all aligned before my really tough training starts for the tri. That was great, but we had to leave the house at about 8:45 AM to get there in time for me to get adjusted and make it to White Fox Den for breakfast with my mom and Erin and her mom. No sleeping in for me. Oh well, it was worth it. I went to breakfast with the ladies, and we had such a good time. We always have a great time together. Erin and I have been friends for so long (since first grade), and our mom have been friends for almost as long, so it just feels so great to spend time with the four of us. Erin is like another sister, and her mom is like a second mom.
After breakfast, my mom and I did some bumming around town and went to see my grandma at the nursing home. She recently fell and broke her pelvis, so she has to be in the nursing home while she recovers. She looked so old to me. It was actually really hard for me to see her there. My mom and Nikki both said that she's doing really well and actually looks really good, but they see her all the time. When you don't see an older person, an older sick person at that, six weeks can do so much that a person who sees her every week doesn't see. I lvoe my grandma, and it's hard to think of a time when she won't be around. My grandpa died four years ago today actually, and it was so hard. We've always been so close to my grandparents. Ok, don't want to think about that anymore so I'm going to move on...
After visiting my grandma, we went to see Lexi's basketball game. Although she didn't score a basket and her team lost, she did a great job.
I played basketball when I was a littler older than her, and I was so bad at it. In four years of playing, I only got two baskets. I think. I may have blocked that out of my memory...
After the game, the whole fam went out to this job site that my dad is working on so he could show us this amazing house. It was snowing out, but it wasn't very cold. The house is way out in the woods, so we ran around like a bunch of idiots playing Man from Snowy River and hiking all over the woods. We worked up quite the appetite so we went to Upper Crust pizza in Pell Lake. My cousin Ashley met us there, too, since I haven't seen her since before Christmas either. This place is so cool - they have funny things hanging from every inch of the walls and ceilings. From a giant T-Rex to hammerhead sharks to airplanes to old license plates. It's really fun the play I Spy in this place.
After dinner, my parents and I headed into New Berlin to see Munich. I was so tired after the long day, but I really wanted to see the movie and thought it'd be a good way to relax. Not so much. This movie is amazingly powerful. It really sort of rips you apart and makes you question humanity and the state of the world as we've known it our entire lives. The thought that people have been fighting each other, mass murdering each other, for thousands of years is mind-blowing and eternally frightening. For those who don't know, this movie is about the violent aftermath of the Munich Olympic hostage and murder situation. Really, it's about the years old fued between the Palestinians and the Isrealis. It's makes you really think. My parents and I left the movie in silence, not really knowing how to react at that time. It's a great film, but it made me depressed at the state of our world. If you can't handle thinking about things outside your own life or bubble, don't see it.
Although amazing and powerful, I don't think this film will win Best Picture, by the way. I just don't see it coming.
Sunday morning, I woke up and hung out with my parents for a relaxing morning before making the trip back up to the cities. The drive was a lot better on Sunday than it had been on Friday. I think I just hate night driving. But I made even better time on the way back up, and I was home in plenty of time to spend time with Mark and watch the world's greatest TV show, Grey's Anatomy. Seriously, if you aren't wathcing this show, you're nuts. Watch it. Love it.
That's it for me for the weekend. This is going to be a really busy week - the intense tri training starts this week. I'm so excited about it!
Up Next: A Valentine's Day Crockpot Extravaganza
Friday, February 10, 2006
Capote
I went to see Capote on Tuesday night. Mark has off work all week, so in my attempt to fulfill my Oscar promise I took him away to the movies for the evening. Well, he took me but who’s keeping track…
We had planned on going so when I got home from work on Tuesday I quickly changed clothes and we headed out to grab a bite to eat before the movie. We weren’t sure where to go, and we didn’t have a lot of time, so we just headed for Uptown thinking we’d find a place. When we got to Uptown, for some unknown and ridiculous reason, we decided it would be a good idea to eat at Burrito Loco. Now, you may ask yourself, “What would make two people with severe stomach issues eat at a baby-size burrito from Burrito Loco before going to sit in a movie theater for two and a half hours?” Well, I’ll tell you. Insanity mixed quite well with a dash of stupidity. About four bites into our burrito (for Mark) and quesadilla (for me), we were done. Luckily, the tobacco shop next door sold Tums, so we were ok for the next few hours. We had a bunch of time to kill before the movie (we had expected to eat a full meal…), so we wandered into Book Smart, the used bookstore on Hennepin Avenue. I had never been in the store before – working at Barnes & Noble you never really need to go to another bookstore. But it was fun to just wander through the aisles and check out some books that probably four people have read (the author, his/her spouse and his/her parents). It was a great way to waste the time away.
We finally made it over to the theater, and we were pleased to find that no crazies had decided to come to the movies that night.
Let me back up. Mark and I have a movie crazies attraction that we can’t seem to shake. In our two and a half years of dating, we have had a nice night out at the movies maybe four times. We’ve been to the movies a bunch, but only about four times without a crazy ruining the whole thing for us. At Love Actually, a woman sat in front of us eating a bologna sandwich and every time Hugh Grant appeared on stage, she would throw her arms up into the air and scream. At I Heart Huckabees, on opening weekend, a woman behind us keep making horrible remarks because we had dared to sit in front of her – in a SOLD OUT THEATER. At Chronicles of Narnia, we were two of eight people in the entire theater. The only other couple in the place (the other four were a family) decided to sit in the exact row in front of us in the exact two seats in front of us – and then proceeded to talk on their CELL PHONES during the entire film. And if you know Mark, you know that we didn’t move seats because of the principle of the matter – we were seated there first. For these reasons, and many others, Mark and I are wary of movie theaters. But I still love the movies and going to the movie theater, and because Mark loves me, he still goes with me. J
So with our bellies full of food it didn’t like and no crazies surrounding us, Mark and I settled in to enjoy a great film. I didn’t know a lot about Truman Capote prior to seeing the film. I knew he was an author and had written Breakfast at Tiffany’s as well as In Cold Blood. Other than that, I was excited to learn about him and the process he went through while writing In Cold Blood.
I don’t want to go into the details of the movie itself for fear of ruining it for someone who hasn’t yet seen it. While I thought the movie was fascinating and a great way to spend a couple of hours, I don’t think that it is Oscar Best Picture worthy. The story was compelling, the acting amazing (more on that in a minute) and the cinematography well done, but it was not the best film that I saw all year. I often judge films based on how they impacted or affected me. Did I have to sit in the theater for a few minutes before I could allow myself to leave? Did I leave the theater feeling a connection to the characters? Am I still thinking about the film days and weeks later?
For this film, the answer was no. The film itself did not have the impact on me that I believe Oscar Best Picture films should have. Was I moved by the film? Yes. Did I enjoy the film? Yes. But I wasn’t so affected by the film that days later, I’m still thinking about it and analyzing it. I highly recommend the film, and I think it deserved a nomination. But I will be very surprised if this film wins Best Picture.
Now the acting is a different story. Philip Seymour Hoffman as Capote was phenomenal. I’ve always enjoyed watching him and have thought for years that he does not get the attention that he deserves. This man is a chameleon. He is able to morph into any role and play it with an amazing amount of ease. In this film, you can really see his acting style and his abilities shine through. He takes you on such a journey with this character. You hate him and feel for him and understand him and then don’t understand at all. From the films that I’ve seen so far, I think the Philip Seymour Hoffman deserves the Oscar for Best Actor hand down.
I urge you to see this film and come back to let me know your thoughts on it!
Heading home to WI this weekend, so I won’t be doing any fun things in the city. But I’ll be back next week!
We had planned on going so when I got home from work on Tuesday I quickly changed clothes and we headed out to grab a bite to eat before the movie. We weren’t sure where to go, and we didn’t have a lot of time, so we just headed for Uptown thinking we’d find a place. When we got to Uptown, for some unknown and ridiculous reason, we decided it would be a good idea to eat at Burrito Loco. Now, you may ask yourself, “What would make two people with severe stomach issues eat at a baby-size burrito from Burrito Loco before going to sit in a movie theater for two and a half hours?” Well, I’ll tell you. Insanity mixed quite well with a dash of stupidity. About four bites into our burrito (for Mark) and quesadilla (for me), we were done. Luckily, the tobacco shop next door sold Tums, so we were ok for the next few hours. We had a bunch of time to kill before the movie (we had expected to eat a full meal…), so we wandered into Book Smart, the used bookstore on Hennepin Avenue. I had never been in the store before – working at Barnes & Noble you never really need to go to another bookstore. But it was fun to just wander through the aisles and check out some books that probably four people have read (the author, his/her spouse and his/her parents). It was a great way to waste the time away.
We finally made it over to the theater, and we were pleased to find that no crazies had decided to come to the movies that night.
Let me back up. Mark and I have a movie crazies attraction that we can’t seem to shake. In our two and a half years of dating, we have had a nice night out at the movies maybe four times. We’ve been to the movies a bunch, but only about four times without a crazy ruining the whole thing for us. At Love Actually, a woman sat in front of us eating a bologna sandwich and every time Hugh Grant appeared on stage, she would throw her arms up into the air and scream. At I Heart Huckabees, on opening weekend, a woman behind us keep making horrible remarks because we had dared to sit in front of her – in a SOLD OUT THEATER. At Chronicles of Narnia, we were two of eight people in the entire theater. The only other couple in the place (the other four were a family) decided to sit in the exact row in front of us in the exact two seats in front of us – and then proceeded to talk on their CELL PHONES during the entire film. And if you know Mark, you know that we didn’t move seats because of the principle of the matter – we were seated there first. For these reasons, and many others, Mark and I are wary of movie theaters. But I still love the movies and going to the movie theater, and because Mark loves me, he still goes with me. J
So with our bellies full of food it didn’t like and no crazies surrounding us, Mark and I settled in to enjoy a great film. I didn’t know a lot about Truman Capote prior to seeing the film. I knew he was an author and had written Breakfast at Tiffany’s as well as In Cold Blood. Other than that, I was excited to learn about him and the process he went through while writing In Cold Blood.
I don’t want to go into the details of the movie itself for fear of ruining it for someone who hasn’t yet seen it. While I thought the movie was fascinating and a great way to spend a couple of hours, I don’t think that it is Oscar Best Picture worthy. The story was compelling, the acting amazing (more on that in a minute) and the cinematography well done, but it was not the best film that I saw all year. I often judge films based on how they impacted or affected me. Did I have to sit in the theater for a few minutes before I could allow myself to leave? Did I leave the theater feeling a connection to the characters? Am I still thinking about the film days and weeks later?
For this film, the answer was no. The film itself did not have the impact on me that I believe Oscar Best Picture films should have. Was I moved by the film? Yes. Did I enjoy the film? Yes. But I wasn’t so affected by the film that days later, I’m still thinking about it and analyzing it. I highly recommend the film, and I think it deserved a nomination. But I will be very surprised if this film wins Best Picture.
Now the acting is a different story. Philip Seymour Hoffman as Capote was phenomenal. I’ve always enjoyed watching him and have thought for years that he does not get the attention that he deserves. This man is a chameleon. He is able to morph into any role and play it with an amazing amount of ease. In this film, you can really see his acting style and his abilities shine through. He takes you on such a journey with this character. You hate him and feel for him and understand him and then don’t understand at all. From the films that I’ve seen so far, I think the Philip Seymour Hoffman deserves the Oscar for Best Actor hand down.
I urge you to see this film and come back to let me know your thoughts on it!
Heading home to WI this weekend, so I won’t be doing any fun things in the city. But I’ll be back next week!
Sunday, February 05, 2006
1st Team Run
Ok, I have officially become on of the crazy people. Those crazy people that get up at the crack of dawn, get their gear on, and go running when it's 10 below outside. Yes, my friends, I have become one of those crazy people - and I LOVE IT!
This morning was my first team training session with my TNT teammates. The run started at 8am, and the team was to meet at Lake Calhoun. When my alarm clock went off at 7am, I wanted nothing more than to roll over and go right back to sleep. But I took five minutes, got myself up and started getting ready. I put on all my new gear - I did a little pre-run shopping at Target yesterday. I felt filled with enthusiasm and really ready to take on the day and the run!
And then I looked at the tempurature.
It was 10 degrees. And then, two minutes later, it was 8 degrees. And then, when I got in the car, the DJ stated that it was really 7 below with the wind chill.
My enthusiasm level decreased. In fact, my enthusiasm was gone. It went back to bed.
But I when I arrived at Lake Calhoun and saw all of the other runners gathering and stretching, it came back. A little. We started by introducing ourselves and the event for which we'd be training. Then we did a little group warm up and broke out into groups. I ran on Saturday morning, and I did a 10-minute mile. So, I joined the 10- to 11- minute mile group thinking that I'd just make it.
And I did make. It more than made it. I did great! We did a line run, which means that the whole group runs in a line, and the last person in the group has to run to the front of the line while stating something about themselves (name, college, favorite drink, etc.) That person was then at the front of the pack, and they set the pace until the next person came up. It made the time fly by, and was a great way to connect with the team. Before I knew it, the run was over!
It wasn't until after the run that the cold hit me. And it hit me HARD! While doing my post-run stretch with my teammates, my legs started to go completely numb and my hands were like ice. By the time I got in the car, my whole body was an icicle. I turned the heat on as high as it would go.
But I felt great. I was more motivated than ever to get in shape and prepare my body and mind for the major undertaking of a triathlon. And even more, I was motivated by the larger goal in mind - raising the funds that will one day find comfort and a cure for blood cancer patients. The people out there running with me today were friends, sisters, nephews, sons, husbands of someone with a form of blood cancer. One of our teammates is running for his wife - she's 24 and was just diagnosed with cancer. I have a feeling that one will stick me with throughout my training.
When I got home, I was still freezing. I jumped back into bed, but my adrenaline and excitement were pumping way too hard for me to rest. After a hot shower, I started to warm up. I'm still kinda warming up now, actually...
So, my first team training session was a major success for me. It made me really excited to face the next five months of training and fundraising. And speaking of fundraising...please note that the link to my personal fundraising website is now to the right. Please give if you can.
Up Next - not sure yet.
This morning was my first team training session with my TNT teammates. The run started at 8am, and the team was to meet at Lake Calhoun. When my alarm clock went off at 7am, I wanted nothing more than to roll over and go right back to sleep. But I took five minutes, got myself up and started getting ready. I put on all my new gear - I did a little pre-run shopping at Target yesterday. I felt filled with enthusiasm and really ready to take on the day and the run!
And then I looked at the tempurature.
It was 10 degrees. And then, two minutes later, it was 8 degrees. And then, when I got in the car, the DJ stated that it was really 7 below with the wind chill.
My enthusiasm level decreased. In fact, my enthusiasm was gone. It went back to bed.
But I when I arrived at Lake Calhoun and saw all of the other runners gathering and stretching, it came back. A little. We started by introducing ourselves and the event for which we'd be training. Then we did a little group warm up and broke out into groups. I ran on Saturday morning, and I did a 10-minute mile. So, I joined the 10- to 11- minute mile group thinking that I'd just make it.
And I did make. It more than made it. I did great! We did a line run, which means that the whole group runs in a line, and the last person in the group has to run to the front of the line while stating something about themselves (name, college, favorite drink, etc.) That person was then at the front of the pack, and they set the pace until the next person came up. It made the time fly by, and was a great way to connect with the team. Before I knew it, the run was over!
It wasn't until after the run that the cold hit me. And it hit me HARD! While doing my post-run stretch with my teammates, my legs started to go completely numb and my hands were like ice. By the time I got in the car, my whole body was an icicle. I turned the heat on as high as it would go.
But I felt great. I was more motivated than ever to get in shape and prepare my body and mind for the major undertaking of a triathlon. And even more, I was motivated by the larger goal in mind - raising the funds that will one day find comfort and a cure for blood cancer patients. The people out there running with me today were friends, sisters, nephews, sons, husbands of someone with a form of blood cancer. One of our teammates is running for his wife - she's 24 and was just diagnosed with cancer. I have a feeling that one will stick me with throughout my training.
When I got home, I was still freezing. I jumped back into bed, but my adrenaline and excitement were pumping way too hard for me to rest. After a hot shower, I started to warm up. I'm still kinda warming up now, actually...
So, my first team training session was a major success for me. It made me really excited to face the next five months of training and fundraising. And speaking of fundraising...please note that the link to my personal fundraising website is now to the right. Please give if you can.
Up Next - not sure yet.
Tuesdays with Morrie
Last year, for my college graduation gift, Mark bought me season tickets to the Broadway in Minneapolis series at the Orpheum Theater. We had some great shows - The Lion King, Movin Out and Sweet Charity, to name a few. We had such a good time that we decided to get season tickets again this year. My friend Megan and her boyfriend Ryan even decided to join us. We were a little disappointed with this season's shows, but were excited to again experience musical theater at one of our favorite venues. The first couple of shows were good, but we still weren't sold on this season's shows. But the latest performance brought out enthusiasm level right back up again.
On Friday night, after I had a quick happy hour with some of my favorite college gals, Kristin and Susie, I rushed home to get ready for our evening at the State Theater to see Tuesdays With Morrie. I was pretty tired after a long week at work, and when I got home I found that Mark, too, was tired and not overly thrilled with a night out. But after getting ready and eating a quick snack, I was in theater mood. We walked the FREEZING five blocks to the theater to find Megan and Ryan already inside trying to get warm. After finding our seats and chatting a bit about the venue, the show started.
Now, those of you who pay attention might be wondering why, if our season tickets are for shows at the Orpheum, we were seeing a show at the State Theater. Well, the show got moved a couple of weeks ago, and at the time I wasn't sure why. Well, the State Theater is a much smaller venue, and unfortunately, even that smaller venue wasn't filled for this great show. It always makes me a little sad for the actors when the theater isn't filled. I'm not saying it has to be a sold out show, but probably 1/3 of the theater was empty. It would make me sad if I were an actor and people didn't come to see my show. But that's just me.
Anyways, back to my story. The show was fantastic. I have never read the book, so I didn't know exactly what to expect. I mean, I was pretty sure that the old man died in the end. But I never knew how great the story is. You have this old, dying man with all of these words of wisdom, and you have this younger, healthy guy who initially can't even give his wife the time of day. It was a very touching and inspiring story, and the acting made the story come alive. I don't know much about Mitch Albom, but Mark and Ryan both said that the actor portrayed him perfectly.
I got so wrapped up in the story. Again, I knew that the old man died in the end, but it kind of snuck up on me. I found myself crying, and I mean really crying. (I was not the only one - quite a few of the women around me were shedding tears) It was so sad to watch the relationship end.
I always think it's got to be more difficult to play someone who actually lives or is still alive. In a completely fictional story, the actor who plays the character is able to develop that character, make him or her what he or she wants. But with a true story or well-known people, the actor has to get the tone, the mannerisms, the lifestyle of the person perfectly, or pay the consequences from the viewing public. So, here's my little salute to actors who play real people. Salute!
Anyways, the show was really great and I loved the State Theater. It has beautiful, ornate woodworking and wall murals. It was my first visit to the State Theater, and I can imagine that a concert there would be really great. Large enough to have a good crowd, but small enough to feel intimate with the artist.
Ok, now I'm just rambling to ramble. What I have to say is, Tuesdays with Morrie was good, I liked the State Theater, and actors are great. Now, I'm going to take a nap. Found out why I need one in my next post...
Happy Super Bowl Sunday, everyone!
On Friday night, after I had a quick happy hour with some of my favorite college gals, Kristin and Susie, I rushed home to get ready for our evening at the State Theater to see Tuesdays With Morrie. I was pretty tired after a long week at work, and when I got home I found that Mark, too, was tired and not overly thrilled with a night out. But after getting ready and eating a quick snack, I was in theater mood. We walked the FREEZING five blocks to the theater to find Megan and Ryan already inside trying to get warm. After finding our seats and chatting a bit about the venue, the show started.
Now, those of you who pay attention might be wondering why, if our season tickets are for shows at the Orpheum, we were seeing a show at the State Theater. Well, the show got moved a couple of weeks ago, and at the time I wasn't sure why. Well, the State Theater is a much smaller venue, and unfortunately, even that smaller venue wasn't filled for this great show. It always makes me a little sad for the actors when the theater isn't filled. I'm not saying it has to be a sold out show, but probably 1/3 of the theater was empty. It would make me sad if I were an actor and people didn't come to see my show. But that's just me.
Anyways, back to my story. The show was fantastic. I have never read the book, so I didn't know exactly what to expect. I mean, I was pretty sure that the old man died in the end. But I never knew how great the story is. You have this old, dying man with all of these words of wisdom, and you have this younger, healthy guy who initially can't even give his wife the time of day. It was a very touching and inspiring story, and the acting made the story come alive. I don't know much about Mitch Albom, but Mark and Ryan both said that the actor portrayed him perfectly.
I got so wrapped up in the story. Again, I knew that the old man died in the end, but it kind of snuck up on me. I found myself crying, and I mean really crying. (I was not the only one - quite a few of the women around me were shedding tears) It was so sad to watch the relationship end.
I always think it's got to be more difficult to play someone who actually lives or is still alive. In a completely fictional story, the actor who plays the character is able to develop that character, make him or her what he or she wants. But with a true story or well-known people, the actor has to get the tone, the mannerisms, the lifestyle of the person perfectly, or pay the consequences from the viewing public. So, here's my little salute to actors who play real people. Salute!
Anyways, the show was really great and I loved the State Theater. It has beautiful, ornate woodworking and wall murals. It was my first visit to the State Theater, and I can imagine that a concert there would be really great. Large enough to have a good crowd, but small enough to feel intimate with the artist.
Ok, now I'm just rambling to ramble. What I have to say is, Tuesdays with Morrie was good, I liked the State Theater, and actors are great. Now, I'm going to take a nap. Found out why I need one in my next post...
Happy Super Bowl Sunday, everyone!
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Triathlon
As you may know, this blog was part of my New Year’s resolution to explore the Twin Cities. What most people don’t know is that I have another resolution. I am going to participate in a triathlon.
A few weeks before New Year’s Eve, I began to think about participating in a triathlon. I didn’t tell anyone about these thoughts, not even Mark. I knew that I wanted to lose weight and really push myself to get in shape, but I also knew that I would never succeed in doing that unless I had a larger motivating reason behind it all. I knew that I would never do a marathon – running for 26.2 miles sounded like hell on earth to me. But with a triathlon, I get to swim, bike and run my way to a finish line. I also thought about my big list of things to do before I die, and finishing a major fitness event is on that list. I wasn’t quite ready to tell anyone though – telling people would mean that it was real for people other than just myself.
Well, New Year’s Eve came, and while I was sitting on the floor playing Jenga with my family, I just kind of blurted it out. I wasn’t really ready to tell anyone, but apparently my subconscious was sick of the secret. I’m not sure that my family believed me, but they did their best attempt at making me feel like they did. It was sort of a “I’ll believe it when I see it” kind of thing. And to be honest, that didn’t bother me at all. I was sort of feeling the same thing myself. I had no idea how to start the training, where to do the training, or what the training would involve.
A few days after the New Year had started, I came home one night to find a direct mail piece on top of the small pile of mail Mark had left out for me. The mail piece was from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and it was regarding a program called Team in Training (TNT). As I started to read through the information, I learned that TNT was a program that helped regular people train for extreme fitness challenges – such as marathons, century bike rides and triathlons. They provide coaching, support and motivation for training. It was like fate had given me a call.
I signed up to attend an informational meeting for TNT to find out more about the program. When I arrived, I was surprised that I wasn’t totally scared or intimidated. In the past, I’ve been known to be a bit of a nervous person (Mom and Eric, insert your funny comment here…). But I was really calm and relaxed, and just excited to learn about the possibility of joining a team.
About five minutes into the presentation, I was completely on board. I had learned that TNT is not just a support system for people to use for their own good. It’s about coaching, motivation, fundraising, encouragement, training, life experiences and so much more. Over the next five months, I will train with a core group of people who are participating in the same event. These people will help support me in my decisions, motivate me when I just want to lay around watching movies instead of training, and assist me with my fundraising goals. In return, I am their support system, hopefully giving them the same inspiration they give me.
At the end of the meeting, I signed up to participate in the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon to take place July 15, 2006 here in Minneapolis.
Now, there is more to this than just receiving coaching and training and support from fellow triathletes. As part of the program, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society asks that each participant fundraise a predetermined amount of money. Of that total dollar amount, at least 75% goes directly to the Society for cancer research. I’ll admit, when the fundraising was discussed I did start to get a bit nervous. But when I started to actually think about the dollar amount I need to raise and all the people I know who would greatly support this cause, I knew that I could do it. TNT gives you all kinds of ideas and options for fundraising – from a personal web site (look for a link in the coming days!) to letter writing campaigns (if I have your address, be prepared to get a letter!) to special events (bake sale, anyone?).
TNT has a bunch of events throughout the year that take place throughout the country. They have a team to train for a walk or run marathon in San Diego, a century bike ride around Lake Tahoe and a triathlon in Pennsylvania. And, if you raise your predetermined dollar amount, TNT will pay for your travel expenses to participate in these programs. Now, the dollar amount that you have to raise is quite a bit higher than if you lived in the location where the event takes place, but it is still a great opportunity. I’m thinking of roping my mom and sister into participating in the walking marathon next summer that takes place in Alaska, but they don’t know that yet. But for now, I think I’ll just focus on my current physical challenge!
I have to say that I’m really proud of myself for signing up for the program. I think it’s half the battle just to decide that you’re going to do it. Well, maybe not half the battle, but a good portion of it at least. I’m looking forward to the next big leg of this undertaking – the actual training and fundraising. I haven’t been this excited or felt this good about a project in a long time.
I have a kick off meeting this Saturday morning to really jump-start the program and begin the training. Then I’m off and running – and swimming and biking. I’ll keep you posted on my progress!
A few weeks before New Year’s Eve, I began to think about participating in a triathlon. I didn’t tell anyone about these thoughts, not even Mark. I knew that I wanted to lose weight and really push myself to get in shape, but I also knew that I would never succeed in doing that unless I had a larger motivating reason behind it all. I knew that I would never do a marathon – running for 26.2 miles sounded like hell on earth to me. But with a triathlon, I get to swim, bike and run my way to a finish line. I also thought about my big list of things to do before I die, and finishing a major fitness event is on that list. I wasn’t quite ready to tell anyone though – telling people would mean that it was real for people other than just myself.
Well, New Year’s Eve came, and while I was sitting on the floor playing Jenga with my family, I just kind of blurted it out. I wasn’t really ready to tell anyone, but apparently my subconscious was sick of the secret. I’m not sure that my family believed me, but they did their best attempt at making me feel like they did. It was sort of a “I’ll believe it when I see it” kind of thing. And to be honest, that didn’t bother me at all. I was sort of feeling the same thing myself. I had no idea how to start the training, where to do the training, or what the training would involve.
A few days after the New Year had started, I came home one night to find a direct mail piece on top of the small pile of mail Mark had left out for me. The mail piece was from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and it was regarding a program called Team in Training (TNT). As I started to read through the information, I learned that TNT was a program that helped regular people train for extreme fitness challenges – such as marathons, century bike rides and triathlons. They provide coaching, support and motivation for training. It was like fate had given me a call.
I signed up to attend an informational meeting for TNT to find out more about the program. When I arrived, I was surprised that I wasn’t totally scared or intimidated. In the past, I’ve been known to be a bit of a nervous person (Mom and Eric, insert your funny comment here…). But I was really calm and relaxed, and just excited to learn about the possibility of joining a team.
About five minutes into the presentation, I was completely on board. I had learned that TNT is not just a support system for people to use for their own good. It’s about coaching, motivation, fundraising, encouragement, training, life experiences and so much more. Over the next five months, I will train with a core group of people who are participating in the same event. These people will help support me in my decisions, motivate me when I just want to lay around watching movies instead of training, and assist me with my fundraising goals. In return, I am their support system, hopefully giving them the same inspiration they give me.
At the end of the meeting, I signed up to participate in the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon to take place July 15, 2006 here in Minneapolis.
Now, there is more to this than just receiving coaching and training and support from fellow triathletes. As part of the program, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society asks that each participant fundraise a predetermined amount of money. Of that total dollar amount, at least 75% goes directly to the Society for cancer research. I’ll admit, when the fundraising was discussed I did start to get a bit nervous. But when I started to actually think about the dollar amount I need to raise and all the people I know who would greatly support this cause, I knew that I could do it. TNT gives you all kinds of ideas and options for fundraising – from a personal web site (look for a link in the coming days!) to letter writing campaigns (if I have your address, be prepared to get a letter!) to special events (bake sale, anyone?).
TNT has a bunch of events throughout the year that take place throughout the country. They have a team to train for a walk or run marathon in San Diego, a century bike ride around Lake Tahoe and a triathlon in Pennsylvania. And, if you raise your predetermined dollar amount, TNT will pay for your travel expenses to participate in these programs. Now, the dollar amount that you have to raise is quite a bit higher than if you lived in the location where the event takes place, but it is still a great opportunity. I’m thinking of roping my mom and sister into participating in the walking marathon next summer that takes place in Alaska, but they don’t know that yet. But for now, I think I’ll just focus on my current physical challenge!
I have to say that I’m really proud of myself for signing up for the program. I think it’s half the battle just to decide that you’re going to do it. Well, maybe not half the battle, but a good portion of it at least. I’m looking forward to the next big leg of this undertaking – the actual training and fundraising. I haven’t been this excited or felt this good about a project in a long time.
I have a kick off meeting this Saturday morning to really jump-start the program and begin the training. Then I’m off and running – and swimming and biking. I’ll keep you posted on my progress!
Oscar Season!
It’s Oscar season, boys and girls, and I’m loving it! It’s my second favorite time of year!
Since I can remember, my mom and I have been Oscar freaks. As soon as the nominees are announced, it’s a race to the movie theaters to see all of the films that are nominated. We try to see all of the movies that have been nominated for any of the six awards that are most important to us – Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. Some years it’s a very difficult feat to get to all of the movies. My mom is usually better than I am at seeing them all. But this year, I am determined to do it. After I have seen the movies, I’ll put up what my picks are for each category.
To help me on my quest, and to keep you all posted on the wonderful world of Oscar, here are the nominees in my favorite six categories:
Best Picture:
Crash
Brokeback Mountain
Munich
Good Night, and Good Luck
Capote
Best Directing:
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Crash
Good Night, and Good Luck
Munich
Best Actor:
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Capote
Terrence Howard - Hustle & Flow
Heath Ledger - Brokeback Mountain
Joaquin Phoenix - Walk the Line
David Strathairn - Good Night and Good Luck
Best Actress:
Judi Dench - Mrs. Henderson Presents
Felicity Huffman - TransAmerica
Keira Knightly - Pride & Prejudice
Charlize Theron - North Country
Reese Witherspoon - Walk the Line
Best Actor, Supporting:
George Clooney - Syriana
Matt Dillon - Crash
Paul Giamatti - Cinderella Man
Jake Gyllenhall - Brokeback Mountain
William Hurt - A History of Violence
Best Actress, Supporting:
Amy Adams - Junebug
Catherine Keener - Capote
Frances McDormand - North Country
Rachel Weisz - The Constant Gardener
Michelle Williams - Brokeback Mountain
Happy Oscar Season, everyone!
Since I can remember, my mom and I have been Oscar freaks. As soon as the nominees are announced, it’s a race to the movie theaters to see all of the films that are nominated. We try to see all of the movies that have been nominated for any of the six awards that are most important to us – Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. Some years it’s a very difficult feat to get to all of the movies. My mom is usually better than I am at seeing them all. But this year, I am determined to do it. After I have seen the movies, I’ll put up what my picks are for each category.
To help me on my quest, and to keep you all posted on the wonderful world of Oscar, here are the nominees in my favorite six categories:
Best Picture:
Crash
Brokeback Mountain
Munich
Good Night, and Good Luck
Capote
Best Directing:
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Crash
Good Night, and Good Luck
Munich
Best Actor:
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Capote
Terrence Howard - Hustle & Flow
Heath Ledger - Brokeback Mountain
Joaquin Phoenix - Walk the Line
David Strathairn - Good Night and Good Luck
Best Actress:
Judi Dench - Mrs. Henderson Presents
Felicity Huffman - TransAmerica
Keira Knightly - Pride & Prejudice
Charlize Theron - North Country
Reese Witherspoon - Walk the Line
Best Actor, Supporting:
George Clooney - Syriana
Matt Dillon - Crash
Paul Giamatti - Cinderella Man
Jake Gyllenhall - Brokeback Mountain
William Hurt - A History of Violence
Best Actress, Supporting:
Amy Adams - Junebug
Catherine Keener - Capote
Frances McDormand - North Country
Rachel Weisz - The Constant Gardener
Michelle Williams - Brokeback Mountain
Happy Oscar Season, everyone!
Monday, January 30, 2006
Vino 610
So, Friday night Mark and I struggled with the age-old question: “What’s for dinner?” This question is often the bane of my existence come Friday night. I get home from work, and Mark is either a) deep in thought, doing homework b) starving and ready to eat the turtle or c) both. We spend a good chunk of time figuring out what to do for dinner. For the first hour, we try to decide if we should cook or go out. The hour after that, we have to decide either what to cook or where we should go. The third hour is spent giving up, and going to Jimmy John’s for a Beach Club and a Turkey Tom.
Well, this past Friday I had the fun idea to plan ahead. I thought that I would make steak and roasted potatoes for dinner. This is a “fun” idea because I never cook. Ever. I hate cooking. And, I’m bad at it. I burn mac and cheese half the time. Which is why I’m so grateful that I have Mark. Not only is he good at it, but he actually loves doing it. Those Friday nights that we actually do cook, the “we” refers simply to Mark. I stand by and watch him enthusiastically, usually while sipping a nice glass of wine.
When I got home this past Friday, Mark was lying on the floor in scenario c – doing homework, starving hungry. At work that day, I was pretty excited to cook dinner. I even looked up some fun recipes for sauces on the Internet. Oh yes, I was going to go all out. But by the end of the day, my enthusiasm for cooking was significantly waning. So when I walked through the door and Mark suggested we go out, I jumped at the idea.
Mark suggested Vino 610, a new wine bar and restaurant near the corner of Lyndale and Lake St. I had driven by it a few weeks earlier, and I had added it to my mental list of new places to try. From the street, it looks like a wonderfully quaint place to have a good meal, a nice bottle of wine and an intimate conversation. It was all that, and so much more.
As soon as we walked in, I was immediately in love with the place. It was small and cozy with a warm, romantic feel. I really don’t like large restaurants – I feel that they don’t promote conversation or relaxation. Small restaurants allow you to cozy up with your date and have a leisure dinner. There were about 12 tables or so in the place, as well as a bar area that contained a full wall wine rack. The tables and walls were dark, heavy wood accented with deep reds. Tea lights that hung from the ceiling gave off the perfect amount of light.
We sat at a small table near the window in the corner. After receiving the wine list and menu, I decided on a very nice glass of Rosenblum Vintner’s Cuvee, and Mark had a Heineken. Unfortunately, he’s had to lay off the wine lately for health reasons. When our drinks came, they were served with the cutest little dishes of something extra. (Side note: I love small containers of things. I will order something or purchase something only because it comes in a small bottle or dish. Example – when Mark and I go to the liquor store, I will purchase a split of the worst champagne ever, only because it’s cute.) Mark’s beer was served with a stuffed olive, and my wine was served with a tiny wedge of cheese. I mini-squealed in delight, I was so excited.
Dinner was a tough decision. The menu was not extensive, but did contain a few items that I found it hard to decide between. I think that I’ve had a meat deficiency in my diet lately, because every time we go to dinner I feel the need to order a steak. So, I did. I had the Petit Filet. It was cooked in a red wine sauce and served with mashed potatoes. Mark decided on the Pasta with Pesto, which was served with a dark garlic cheese toast. Both dishes were fantastic. My steak was perfectly well done with great flavor. The pasta was nice and light with pesto flavor. And the garlic cheese bread that came with Mark’s meal was to die for – seriously. Garlic cheese bread is not something I would usually comment on, but this was great. For dessert, we split a Lemon Torte, which was yellow cake layered with lemon filling and butter cream frosting. Words almost can’t express how good that cake was – moist and delicious, without being overly rich.
After dinner, we sat and talked while finishing our drinks. The restaurant had filled with other couples enjoying an intimate meal as well as small groups of friends chatting and sipping wine. I really recommend this place to anyone. It’s a great place to take a date, a couple of friends or your parents to have a nice meal, a great glass of wine and a fun evening.
After our lovely dinner, we returned home where I promptly fell asleep at 9:30 PM. I guess that one glass of wine hit me hard...
Up Next: A little post about a big challenge
Well, this past Friday I had the fun idea to plan ahead. I thought that I would make steak and roasted potatoes for dinner. This is a “fun” idea because I never cook. Ever. I hate cooking. And, I’m bad at it. I burn mac and cheese half the time. Which is why I’m so grateful that I have Mark. Not only is he good at it, but he actually loves doing it. Those Friday nights that we actually do cook, the “we” refers simply to Mark. I stand by and watch him enthusiastically, usually while sipping a nice glass of wine.
When I got home this past Friday, Mark was lying on the floor in scenario c – doing homework, starving hungry. At work that day, I was pretty excited to cook dinner. I even looked up some fun recipes for sauces on the Internet. Oh yes, I was going to go all out. But by the end of the day, my enthusiasm for cooking was significantly waning. So when I walked through the door and Mark suggested we go out, I jumped at the idea.
Mark suggested Vino 610, a new wine bar and restaurant near the corner of Lyndale and Lake St. I had driven by it a few weeks earlier, and I had added it to my mental list of new places to try. From the street, it looks like a wonderfully quaint place to have a good meal, a nice bottle of wine and an intimate conversation. It was all that, and so much more.
As soon as we walked in, I was immediately in love with the place. It was small and cozy with a warm, romantic feel. I really don’t like large restaurants – I feel that they don’t promote conversation or relaxation. Small restaurants allow you to cozy up with your date and have a leisure dinner. There were about 12 tables or so in the place, as well as a bar area that contained a full wall wine rack. The tables and walls were dark, heavy wood accented with deep reds. Tea lights that hung from the ceiling gave off the perfect amount of light.
We sat at a small table near the window in the corner. After receiving the wine list and menu, I decided on a very nice glass of Rosenblum Vintner’s Cuvee, and Mark had a Heineken. Unfortunately, he’s had to lay off the wine lately for health reasons. When our drinks came, they were served with the cutest little dishes of something extra. (Side note: I love small containers of things. I will order something or purchase something only because it comes in a small bottle or dish. Example – when Mark and I go to the liquor store, I will purchase a split of the worst champagne ever, only because it’s cute.) Mark’s beer was served with a stuffed olive, and my wine was served with a tiny wedge of cheese. I mini-squealed in delight, I was so excited.
Dinner was a tough decision. The menu was not extensive, but did contain a few items that I found it hard to decide between. I think that I’ve had a meat deficiency in my diet lately, because every time we go to dinner I feel the need to order a steak. So, I did. I had the Petit Filet. It was cooked in a red wine sauce and served with mashed potatoes. Mark decided on the Pasta with Pesto, which was served with a dark garlic cheese toast. Both dishes were fantastic. My steak was perfectly well done with great flavor. The pasta was nice and light with pesto flavor. And the garlic cheese bread that came with Mark’s meal was to die for – seriously. Garlic cheese bread is not something I would usually comment on, but this was great. For dessert, we split a Lemon Torte, which was yellow cake layered with lemon filling and butter cream frosting. Words almost can’t express how good that cake was – moist and delicious, without being overly rich.
After dinner, we sat and talked while finishing our drinks. The restaurant had filled with other couples enjoying an intimate meal as well as small groups of friends chatting and sipping wine. I really recommend this place to anyone. It’s a great place to take a date, a couple of friends or your parents to have a nice meal, a great glass of wine and a fun evening.
After our lovely dinner, we returned home where I promptly fell asleep at 9:30 PM. I guess that one glass of wine hit me hard...
Up Next: A little post about a big challenge
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Belly Dancing Class
When I graduated college, I promised myself that I would take at least one class a year for the rest of my life. It doesn’t have to be a serious class at a university. It can be just something fun, like a cooking class or a sewing class – or a dance class.
I’ve always loved to dance. I danced around a lot as a kid. When I was about 5 I was in a little ballet show. When I was in high school I was on the dance team. I think we called it Poms, but it was basically the dance team. So when the flyer came to my house for Minneapolis Community Education, I thought a dance class would be really fun.
I had tried to take a dance class before through the Minneapolis Community Ed program. Latin dance, actually. The instructors were great and it seemed really fun. But Mark works nights, and I didn’t really want a different dancing partner. I stopped going after only two sessions. It made me kinda sad to have to dance alone.
That’s why when Julie suggested we take belly dancing, I was on board right away. I have always wanted to take a belly dancing class. You don’t need a partner, and I’d heard that it could be a great work out. We signed up for the eight-week beginners’ session.
Monday night was our first session. It was so much fun! Our instructor, Vivian, has been belly dancing for almost ten years, and she’s been teaching for five years. We started the class by warming up a bit and hearing about what we’d learn over the eight weeks. And then we started dancing.
We learned a couple of basic moves, and I learned that my left hip doesn’t like to dance so much. I could do most of the moves with my right hip just fine, but my left hip refused to play along. It was frustrating, but so funny at the same time. I felt like I had a lazy hip. Apparently, most people do have a dominant hip, so keep that in mind if you ever take a belly dancing class!
Like I said, we learned a few basic moves – the hip up, the hip out, and the hip something else. I can’t remember!
No one else would be in my pictures, so Julie and I had to separate from the group for a couple of minutes to get some shots!
The hard part about belly dancing is moving the hips and the arms at the same time. Sounds easy, I know, but you move your hips at a different rate than you move your arms. It feels like rubbing your stomach and patting your head at the same time. But by the end of the class, I felt like I was getting the hang of it. And this morning, I found myself practicing the new moves while I was in the shower.
After class ended, Vivian gave us a demo of what we’d be able to do by the end of the eight sessions. I was really impressed – and excited that I’d be learning all of these great moves.
I really recommend taking a class through the Minneapolis Community Ed program. They have a bunch of different kinds of classes, and they aren’t expensive at all. It’s a great way to learn about something you’ve always been curious about.
I’ll keep you updated on the belly dancing progress!
Up Next: Not sure. We’ll see where the week takes me…
I’ve always loved to dance. I danced around a lot as a kid. When I was about 5 I was in a little ballet show. When I was in high school I was on the dance team. I think we called it Poms, but it was basically the dance team. So when the flyer came to my house for Minneapolis Community Education, I thought a dance class would be really fun.
I had tried to take a dance class before through the Minneapolis Community Ed program. Latin dance, actually. The instructors were great and it seemed really fun. But Mark works nights, and I didn’t really want a different dancing partner. I stopped going after only two sessions. It made me kinda sad to have to dance alone.
That’s why when Julie suggested we take belly dancing, I was on board right away. I have always wanted to take a belly dancing class. You don’t need a partner, and I’d heard that it could be a great work out. We signed up for the eight-week beginners’ session.
Monday night was our first session. It was so much fun! Our instructor, Vivian, has been belly dancing for almost ten years, and she’s been teaching for five years. We started the class by warming up a bit and hearing about what we’d learn over the eight weeks. And then we started dancing.
We learned a couple of basic moves, and I learned that my left hip doesn’t like to dance so much. I could do most of the moves with my right hip just fine, but my left hip refused to play along. It was frustrating, but so funny at the same time. I felt like I had a lazy hip. Apparently, most people do have a dominant hip, so keep that in mind if you ever take a belly dancing class!
Like I said, we learned a few basic moves – the hip up, the hip out, and the hip something else. I can’t remember!
No one else would be in my pictures, so Julie and I had to separate from the group for a couple of minutes to get some shots!
The hard part about belly dancing is moving the hips and the arms at the same time. Sounds easy, I know, but you move your hips at a different rate than you move your arms. It feels like rubbing your stomach and patting your head at the same time. But by the end of the class, I felt like I was getting the hang of it. And this morning, I found myself practicing the new moves while I was in the shower.
After class ended, Vivian gave us a demo of what we’d be able to do by the end of the eight sessions. I was really impressed – and excited that I’d be learning all of these great moves.
I really recommend taking a class through the Minneapolis Community Ed program. They have a bunch of different kinds of classes, and they aren’t expensive at all. It’s a great way to learn about something you’ve always been curious about.
I’ll keep you updated on the belly dancing progress!
Up Next: Not sure. We’ll see where the week takes me…
Monday, January 23, 2006
The Depot
Quick note: I finally joined the Age of Technology - Look for some pictures in this post!
All week, Mark kept telling me that he had a surprise for me on Sunday morning. He told me to keep my Sunday open and be ready for some fun. So I was pretty excited when he woke me up early in the morning and announced that we were heading out into the winter air to enjoy a favorite Minnesotan past time – ice skating.
Mark and I have had a tumultuous history with ice skating. We had tried three times in two years to go to the Depot Ice Rink for a day of ice skating fun. But every time we geared ourselves up to go, we hit a pitfall that prevented us from taking part. Also in the mix of trouble was Mark’s fear of skating. Whenever I brought up the option of skating, he got out of it with some silly excuse – “I’ll break my ankle and not be able to work” or “I’ll break my wrist and not be able to type my papers for school.” Ridiculous, but he usually had some other fun activity in mind, so I let it slide.
The first time we tried to go was April 2004. I finally convinced Mark that even if he did fall, he wouldn’t break an ankle or a wrist. And if he did, he had full rights to blame me. We made plans early in the week to go to the Depot and skate on a Saturday. When Mark told his sister of our fun plans, she dropped a bomb of disappointment on us – the rink was already closed for the season. We would have to wait another 8 months.
The second time we tried, Mark was going to take me for my birthday this past March. He had the whole day planned, and I was so excited. We arrived at the Depot only to find the doors locked. Open skating wasn’t available that day. So, we double checked the hours and found out that the rink would be open the following day. Attempt Number Three. The next day, we dragged ourselves over to the rink again in hopes of some winter fun. Again, we tried the door, and it was locked. A small, hand written note was taped to the door – “Closed for Private Skating Lessons.” I was disappointed. Heartbroken, really. Mark convinced me that it was fate – we were not meant to ever skate together. Down the tubes went my dreams of ice dancing, double turns and triple sow cows.
But this time was different. Mark checked the schedule ahead of time, and made sure that no private lessons were to take place. When we arrived and the door was open, I think I did a little jump of glee just knowing that it was finally going to happen!
We paid for the skate fee and the skate rental, and I could tell that Mark was a bit nervous. I had to exchange his skates three times because he kept getting the wrong size. I had my skates on and was ready to go before Mark was even taking his shoes off. While I waited for him, I watched all the people on the ice, skating around in utter glee. Couples were going around slowly, holding hands and enjoying each other’s company. Small kids shuffled their way around the circle, just excited to be on the ice. Groups of friends stood clustered in the middle of the rink, taking pictures for a birthday party. It all looked so fun and sort of magical. And then I turned around, and saw this.
Mark was not amused. He was not happy. He was not excited. But I was determined to get him pumped up and ready to rock on the ice. He had been rollerblading a bunch before, so I kept telling him it was just like that. We made our way – slowly – over to the entrance to the ice. And then we stepped on…
And Mark almost broke my fingers. He was holding on to my hand so tightly that I almost lost feeling. I practically fell over in pain. But it was so funny that I had to laugh at the same time. I loosened his grip a little, and gave in to the fact that I’d have to hold his hand the whole time. Again, no triple sow cows for me that day.
But then, after only one go around the circle, it was as if Mark was a different person. He took off. And he was a natural! He was skating in between kids and their parents, dancing along to the music and even trying some tricks by the time we ended our fun. It was great! I almost couldn’t keep up!
We stayed for a while, skating together, doing funny tricks and watching some other really good skaters. I’m happy – and proud – to say that we didn’t fall down. Not once! No wet jeans or icy hands, no broken wrists or sprained ankles. Just a happy memory that we finally made it to the Depot, and I finally broke Mark of his skating fear.
Now, you might ask why we didn’t just give up skating at the Depot and go to a different rink. The Depot is such an amazingly cool space that we didn’t want to go anywhere else. Here’s some background on the Depot from the web site to help you get the idea of why it’s so magical:
The Depot was originally built in 1874 and was used by the Minnesota Central Railroad, which later became known as the Milwaukee Road. The old Milwaukee Road Depot remains one of the last long-span, truss-roofed sheds surviving in the nation. When it was first constructed, the ground floors were paved in white marble with black borders and walls were built with cream and brown enamel brick. The ceiling of intricately paneled oak gave the rooms a large, spacious feel. The total cost of the Depot was about $200,000.
The Depot was used by the Milwaukee Road until 1971, when the line stopped services to Minneapolis. At that time, the building was used for office spaces for the Milwaukee Road. After a few different owners, the Depot and the freight house were sold in 1998 to CSM Corporation. Since then, the Depot has undergone an amazing restoration process and now includes the ice-skating rink, a hotel, an indoor water park and a historical center. The project was completed in July 2001.
From a personal standpoint, I think that the Depot is one of the coolest spaces in the Twin Cities. The restoration efforts kept the integrity and history in the space while giving it a needed face-lift. Other events are held in the ice-skating space as well – weddings, wine tasting, charity events. I highly recommend visiting the Depot for an ice skating adventure or to attend one of the various events held there. It's worth a trip just to see what the place looks like. And I’m hoping to make ice skating an annual event! We'll have to see what Mark thinks about that...
Up Next: Belly Dancing Class
All week, Mark kept telling me that he had a surprise for me on Sunday morning. He told me to keep my Sunday open and be ready for some fun. So I was pretty excited when he woke me up early in the morning and announced that we were heading out into the winter air to enjoy a favorite Minnesotan past time – ice skating.
Mark and I have had a tumultuous history with ice skating. We had tried three times in two years to go to the Depot Ice Rink for a day of ice skating fun. But every time we geared ourselves up to go, we hit a pitfall that prevented us from taking part. Also in the mix of trouble was Mark’s fear of skating. Whenever I brought up the option of skating, he got out of it with some silly excuse – “I’ll break my ankle and not be able to work” or “I’ll break my wrist and not be able to type my papers for school.” Ridiculous, but he usually had some other fun activity in mind, so I let it slide.
The first time we tried to go was April 2004. I finally convinced Mark that even if he did fall, he wouldn’t break an ankle or a wrist. And if he did, he had full rights to blame me. We made plans early in the week to go to the Depot and skate on a Saturday. When Mark told his sister of our fun plans, she dropped a bomb of disappointment on us – the rink was already closed for the season. We would have to wait another 8 months.
The second time we tried, Mark was going to take me for my birthday this past March. He had the whole day planned, and I was so excited. We arrived at the Depot only to find the doors locked. Open skating wasn’t available that day. So, we double checked the hours and found out that the rink would be open the following day. Attempt Number Three. The next day, we dragged ourselves over to the rink again in hopes of some winter fun. Again, we tried the door, and it was locked. A small, hand written note was taped to the door – “Closed for Private Skating Lessons.” I was disappointed. Heartbroken, really. Mark convinced me that it was fate – we were not meant to ever skate together. Down the tubes went my dreams of ice dancing, double turns and triple sow cows.
But this time was different. Mark checked the schedule ahead of time, and made sure that no private lessons were to take place. When we arrived and the door was open, I think I did a little jump of glee just knowing that it was finally going to happen!
We paid for the skate fee and the skate rental, and I could tell that Mark was a bit nervous. I had to exchange his skates three times because he kept getting the wrong size. I had my skates on and was ready to go before Mark was even taking his shoes off. While I waited for him, I watched all the people on the ice, skating around in utter glee. Couples were going around slowly, holding hands and enjoying each other’s company. Small kids shuffled their way around the circle, just excited to be on the ice. Groups of friends stood clustered in the middle of the rink, taking pictures for a birthday party. It all looked so fun and sort of magical. And then I turned around, and saw this.
Mark was not amused. He was not happy. He was not excited. But I was determined to get him pumped up and ready to rock on the ice. He had been rollerblading a bunch before, so I kept telling him it was just like that. We made our way – slowly – over to the entrance to the ice. And then we stepped on…
And Mark almost broke my fingers. He was holding on to my hand so tightly that I almost lost feeling. I practically fell over in pain. But it was so funny that I had to laugh at the same time. I loosened his grip a little, and gave in to the fact that I’d have to hold his hand the whole time. Again, no triple sow cows for me that day.
But then, after only one go around the circle, it was as if Mark was a different person. He took off. And he was a natural! He was skating in between kids and their parents, dancing along to the music and even trying some tricks by the time we ended our fun. It was great! I almost couldn’t keep up!
We stayed for a while, skating together, doing funny tricks and watching some other really good skaters. I’m happy – and proud – to say that we didn’t fall down. Not once! No wet jeans or icy hands, no broken wrists or sprained ankles. Just a happy memory that we finally made it to the Depot, and I finally broke Mark of his skating fear.
Now, you might ask why we didn’t just give up skating at the Depot and go to a different rink. The Depot is such an amazingly cool space that we didn’t want to go anywhere else. Here’s some background on the Depot from the web site to help you get the idea of why it’s so magical:
The Depot was originally built in 1874 and was used by the Minnesota Central Railroad, which later became known as the Milwaukee Road. The old Milwaukee Road Depot remains one of the last long-span, truss-roofed sheds surviving in the nation. When it was first constructed, the ground floors were paved in white marble with black borders and walls were built with cream and brown enamel brick. The ceiling of intricately paneled oak gave the rooms a large, spacious feel. The total cost of the Depot was about $200,000.
The Depot was used by the Milwaukee Road until 1971, when the line stopped services to Minneapolis. At that time, the building was used for office spaces for the Milwaukee Road. After a few different owners, the Depot and the freight house were sold in 1998 to CSM Corporation. Since then, the Depot has undergone an amazing restoration process and now includes the ice-skating rink, a hotel, an indoor water park and a historical center. The project was completed in July 2001.
From a personal standpoint, I think that the Depot is one of the coolest spaces in the Twin Cities. The restoration efforts kept the integrity and history in the space while giving it a needed face-lift. Other events are held in the ice-skating space as well – weddings, wine tasting, charity events. I highly recommend visiting the Depot for an ice skating adventure or to attend one of the various events held there. It's worth a trip just to see what the place looks like. And I’m hoping to make ice skating an annual event! We'll have to see what Mark thinks about that...
Up Next: Belly Dancing Class
Blogging Busts
Just a quick note to say thanks to those who are reading! I'm really excited about this blog project, and I'm starting to get really into it. I've gotten some great comments and constructive criticism about it, and I really appreciate that. I promise that future posts will be much more personalized - not so "businesslike", as I've heard - so that you can all learn more about the fabulousness of me. :)
I know that the past couple of posts have been dogging the restaurants, but I promise that the next few adventures will be great and highly recommended by me. I'm looking forward to sharing those with all of you!
Thanks for reading!
I know that the past couple of posts have been dogging the restaurants, but I promise that the next few adventures will be great and highly recommended by me. I'm looking forward to sharing those with all of you!
Thanks for reading!
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Loto
On Friday, Mark and I decided to have a fun date night out. We planned on going to dinner at Eli’s, a neighborhood bar & grill sort of place across the street from our apartment. I have wanted to visit Eli’s since Mark moved in to this apartment almost a year ago. After some deliberation, plans changed and we ventured out to Loto in St. Paul. Eli’s will just have to wait a few more weeks.
Here’s some background on Loto:
Loto is located in Galtier Plaza in St. Paul’s Lowertown area, overlooking Mears Park. David Fhima, chef/owner of a few restaurants in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area, opened Loto with the apparent attempt to cater to various needs. Loto is many things – bakery, deli, coffee house, bar & wine bar, wine store and restaurant. Contemporary American dishes make up the menu at both the deli and the restaurant – from soups and salads to fish, pasta, chicken and steak. The laid-back atmosphere and interesting décor allow for a casual feel. The layout consists of a sunny atrium area surrounded by the trendy bar, small dining area and self-serve deli.
I wanted to wait a few days before blogging about Loto because I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not. We encountered a fair amount of disappointments while dining, but both Mark and I were pleased and still smiling at the end of the meal. This was a tough one to call right away because we enjoyed our night out so much.
While being seated at a table in the small dining area, I noticed the odd layout of the place. You first walk in to the deli and wine store, which was closed yet dimly lit. To the right stood the hostess stand, and just beyond that was the open dining area, followed by the bar. An entire wall of the place was windowed and looked out onto the well-lit Mears Park. I was quite impressed with the view. The rest of the place was on the trendier side, but nothing spectacular. All of the areas seemed to be pushed too closely together – the deli ran into the dining room which ran into the bar which ran into the atrium – you get the point. But to be honest, I was so hungry by this point that I dove right into the menu.
I had checked out the menu online prior to visiting, and was disappointed to find that some menu items – and prices – were different online than in the restaurant. The same was true about the wine list – the website listed a nice assortment of wines from around the country. After being seated, the hostess handed us a printed out wine list half the size of that online. I was able to find a dish that I wanted and wine that I’d like to try, so I pushed that small disappointment out of my mind and prepared to order. I landed on the 6oz New York and a glass of Sauv Blanc (yes, I know that you’re supposed to have red wine with red meat, but I didn’t want red wine.) Mark decided on a Rolling Rock to start and the Ahi Tuna.
After ordering, I took a quick glance around and noticed the emptiness of the dining area. At about 7:30 on a Friday night, half of the dining room was empty. My thoughts were interrupted about three minutes after ordering because the waitress let us know that they were out of the Rolling Rock. No big deal, Mark ordered a Heineken instead. I received my glass of wine, and we continued our conversation. I had started to look around and get a feel for the décor of the restaurant when the waitress returned to announce that they had also run out of the Ahi Tuna. Mark decided on a Vegetarian Rigatoni instead. Now, that’s two strikes with the food and drink experience so far. Three, if you count the inconsistent online to in-store menu…
With dinner, we had choice of soup or salad. Mark ordered the beef stew, and I decided on the lobster bisque. I enjoyed my bisque, although it tasted an awful lot like the chicken tortilla soup on the menu. Because I don’t eat chicken, I tried real hard to push that thought out of my mind… The service was a bit slow for how many people were in the restaurant. We waited quite awhile between our soup and entrée courses. But we were having such a good time talking and being on a date that it didn’t bother us as much as it might have other nights.
When dinner came out, it looked and smelled delicious. Mark’s rigatoni had a fantastically rich flavor – robust roasted red pepper sauce with grilled vegetables. My meal was just ok. I had ordered the steak medium, and it was at the least medium well. The flavor was good, but it was over done for my taste. My mashed potatoes would have been delicious, but they were lukewarm at best by the time they reached me. I did have a side of grilled vegetables, and those were quite good. We topped the meal off with the Snickers cheesecake. No problems with that at all – it was scrumptious!
While waiting for the bill, Mark and I began discussing and rating the restaurant. A large group of men had been seated about 45 minutes earlier, and their food was starting to come out. As Mark and I talked and finished our drinks, I couldn’t help but notice that the man behind me had ordered – and received – the Ahi Tuna. Now, how does this work? Over an hour earlier, there was no Ahi Tuna. Suddenly, some tuna found it’s way into the kitchen and onto this man’s plate? I was so confused. I wanted to badly to ask the waitress how it was accomplished – not to yell or even be mad, but just to ask how that was possible. Unfortunately, when she brought over the check, she laid it down and scurried away again too quickly for me to ask. So, if any one out there is reading this, and might know how the heck that happens, please let me know. It’s just very confusing.
Overall, I would have to say that I don’t recommend this place. We had a great time there, but I think that it was the atmosphere and the company much more so than the food and service. We were pleasantly surprised when the bill came, however. For our food, drink, tax and tip, it was just over $50. Still, the low price and ambience doesn’t quite make up for the disappointments we encountered.
Mark has a theory that he’d like me to include. David Fhima has been a restaurateur in the Twin Cities for some time now. He owns Fhima’s in St. Paul and Louis XIII in Edina. He’s also had at least one failed restaurant, the Minneapolis Café. Mark and I have both heard talk that Fhima plans to open a three-story tapas restaurant in Minneapolis. I’ve never been to Fhima’s, but Louis XIII was extremely good when Mark and I visited a year ago. Fhima’s is well known enough in the area, but as we passed by it on Friday night, it was empty. This is where Mark’s theory comes in - maybe David Fhima spends so much time on his next project that he doesn’t ensure his current projects are a success. I’m not sure about that, as I don’t know a lot about the restaurant industry, but it seems a good enough theory to me!
Up Next: The Depot
Here’s some background on Loto:
Loto is located in Galtier Plaza in St. Paul’s Lowertown area, overlooking Mears Park. David Fhima, chef/owner of a few restaurants in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area, opened Loto with the apparent attempt to cater to various needs. Loto is many things – bakery, deli, coffee house, bar & wine bar, wine store and restaurant. Contemporary American dishes make up the menu at both the deli and the restaurant – from soups and salads to fish, pasta, chicken and steak. The laid-back atmosphere and interesting décor allow for a casual feel. The layout consists of a sunny atrium area surrounded by the trendy bar, small dining area and self-serve deli.
I wanted to wait a few days before blogging about Loto because I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not. We encountered a fair amount of disappointments while dining, but both Mark and I were pleased and still smiling at the end of the meal. This was a tough one to call right away because we enjoyed our night out so much.
While being seated at a table in the small dining area, I noticed the odd layout of the place. You first walk in to the deli and wine store, which was closed yet dimly lit. To the right stood the hostess stand, and just beyond that was the open dining area, followed by the bar. An entire wall of the place was windowed and looked out onto the well-lit Mears Park. I was quite impressed with the view. The rest of the place was on the trendier side, but nothing spectacular. All of the areas seemed to be pushed too closely together – the deli ran into the dining room which ran into the bar which ran into the atrium – you get the point. But to be honest, I was so hungry by this point that I dove right into the menu.
I had checked out the menu online prior to visiting, and was disappointed to find that some menu items – and prices – were different online than in the restaurant. The same was true about the wine list – the website listed a nice assortment of wines from around the country. After being seated, the hostess handed us a printed out wine list half the size of that online. I was able to find a dish that I wanted and wine that I’d like to try, so I pushed that small disappointment out of my mind and prepared to order. I landed on the 6oz New York and a glass of Sauv Blanc (yes, I know that you’re supposed to have red wine with red meat, but I didn’t want red wine.) Mark decided on a Rolling Rock to start and the Ahi Tuna.
After ordering, I took a quick glance around and noticed the emptiness of the dining area. At about 7:30 on a Friday night, half of the dining room was empty. My thoughts were interrupted about three minutes after ordering because the waitress let us know that they were out of the Rolling Rock. No big deal, Mark ordered a Heineken instead. I received my glass of wine, and we continued our conversation. I had started to look around and get a feel for the décor of the restaurant when the waitress returned to announce that they had also run out of the Ahi Tuna. Mark decided on a Vegetarian Rigatoni instead. Now, that’s two strikes with the food and drink experience so far. Three, if you count the inconsistent online to in-store menu…
With dinner, we had choice of soup or salad. Mark ordered the beef stew, and I decided on the lobster bisque. I enjoyed my bisque, although it tasted an awful lot like the chicken tortilla soup on the menu. Because I don’t eat chicken, I tried real hard to push that thought out of my mind… The service was a bit slow for how many people were in the restaurant. We waited quite awhile between our soup and entrée courses. But we were having such a good time talking and being on a date that it didn’t bother us as much as it might have other nights.
When dinner came out, it looked and smelled delicious. Mark’s rigatoni had a fantastically rich flavor – robust roasted red pepper sauce with grilled vegetables. My meal was just ok. I had ordered the steak medium, and it was at the least medium well. The flavor was good, but it was over done for my taste. My mashed potatoes would have been delicious, but they were lukewarm at best by the time they reached me. I did have a side of grilled vegetables, and those were quite good. We topped the meal off with the Snickers cheesecake. No problems with that at all – it was scrumptious!
While waiting for the bill, Mark and I began discussing and rating the restaurant. A large group of men had been seated about 45 minutes earlier, and their food was starting to come out. As Mark and I talked and finished our drinks, I couldn’t help but notice that the man behind me had ordered – and received – the Ahi Tuna. Now, how does this work? Over an hour earlier, there was no Ahi Tuna. Suddenly, some tuna found it’s way into the kitchen and onto this man’s plate? I was so confused. I wanted to badly to ask the waitress how it was accomplished – not to yell or even be mad, but just to ask how that was possible. Unfortunately, when she brought over the check, she laid it down and scurried away again too quickly for me to ask. So, if any one out there is reading this, and might know how the heck that happens, please let me know. It’s just very confusing.
Overall, I would have to say that I don’t recommend this place. We had a great time there, but I think that it was the atmosphere and the company much more so than the food and service. We were pleasantly surprised when the bill came, however. For our food, drink, tax and tip, it was just over $50. Still, the low price and ambience doesn’t quite make up for the disappointments we encountered.
Mark has a theory that he’d like me to include. David Fhima has been a restaurateur in the Twin Cities for some time now. He owns Fhima’s in St. Paul and Louis XIII in Edina. He’s also had at least one failed restaurant, the Minneapolis Café. Mark and I have both heard talk that Fhima plans to open a three-story tapas restaurant in Minneapolis. I’ve never been to Fhima’s, but Louis XIII was extremely good when Mark and I visited a year ago. Fhima’s is well known enough in the area, but as we passed by it on Friday night, it was empty. This is where Mark’s theory comes in - maybe David Fhima spends so much time on his next project that he doesn’t ensure his current projects are a success. I’m not sure about that, as I don’t know a lot about the restaurant industry, but it seems a good enough theory to me!
Up Next: The Depot
Monday, January 16, 2006
Camp Snoopy
This past weekend, I wanted to visit Camp Snoopy (soon to be known as The Park) at the Mall of America. I’ve been there a few times before to take part in rides and general amusement park fun, but recent events made me want to visit one last time before Snoopy and his gang were forced out.
Last week, the Mall of America (MOA) announced that Camp Snoopy would be no more. The company that owns the rights to the Peanuts characters and the forces behind the MOA could not agree to the usage terms any longer. Therefore, by January 19th, MOA must remove all Snoopy and other Peanuts items out of the Camp Snoopy area. The stores that sell Camp Snoopy merchandise will remain open and will continue to sell Peanuts related items until March 30, 2006.
Sad news for Snoopy lovers across the land! So on Friday night, Mark and I headed to MOA to have one last laugh with Snoopy.
We were a little disappointed when we reached our destination. It was only about 6:30 PM, but Camp Snoopy was dark, empty and a little creepy. Very few people were out and about in the park. We walked around for a bit, and were saddened to learn that most of the Snoopy stuff was already taken down. A large blow up Snoopy still stood in the entrance to the park, along with the Snoopy dog bowl, but that was about it. We headed over to the Stampede Steakhouse, where Snoopy and the gang perform nightly. But after taking a look at the menu, we decided to head over to our favorite mall restaurant, Napa Valley Grille, to get dinner. We were planning to return to Camp Snoopy after dinner to ride a rollercoaster and maybe play a game.
Our dinner at Napa Valley Grille was wonderful as always. We started off our meal with some wine chosen from their ample wine list and a bowl of amazing roasted butternut squash soup. I have never been a big fan of squash, but this was too tasty to pass up. For dinner, Mark had the grilled pork tenderloin while I went with the evening’s special of filet and scallops. Delicious! We ended the visit with a luscious dark chocolate molten cake. I highly recommend visiting Napa Valley Grille is you are in the Bloomington area, but it’s also well worth the drive to the mall area from anywhere in the metro.
After dinner, we took one last look at Camp Snoopy and decided we just weren’t up for rides and games. We decided that maybe a problem with the park is that it’s a great idea in theory – a nice place for parents to take their kids as a reward for good behavior after a long day of shopping. But when you get right down to it, it isn’t that fantastic. Now, I’m obviously not a child anymore, so maybe to them it’s still a fun mini-heaven. But Snoopy or no Snoopy, the Park at MOA just disappoints.
Saturday night Mark and I went out on the town with some friends for a belated birthday celebration for Mark. We started the night at Taste, which is a small wine bar connected to the Newsroom in downtown Minneapolis. Mark and I had been there once before, and it’s a great place to go with a few friends. The wine list is pretty extensive, and they also have a small list of hot and cold tapas. I highly recommend Taste for a low-key night out with a few friends or a place to cozy up with someone close.
Up next: Not sure yet, come back to find out!
Last week, the Mall of America (MOA) announced that Camp Snoopy would be no more. The company that owns the rights to the Peanuts characters and the forces behind the MOA could not agree to the usage terms any longer. Therefore, by January 19th, MOA must remove all Snoopy and other Peanuts items out of the Camp Snoopy area. The stores that sell Camp Snoopy merchandise will remain open and will continue to sell Peanuts related items until March 30, 2006.
Sad news for Snoopy lovers across the land! So on Friday night, Mark and I headed to MOA to have one last laugh with Snoopy.
We were a little disappointed when we reached our destination. It was only about 6:30 PM, but Camp Snoopy was dark, empty and a little creepy. Very few people were out and about in the park. We walked around for a bit, and were saddened to learn that most of the Snoopy stuff was already taken down. A large blow up Snoopy still stood in the entrance to the park, along with the Snoopy dog bowl, but that was about it. We headed over to the Stampede Steakhouse, where Snoopy and the gang perform nightly. But after taking a look at the menu, we decided to head over to our favorite mall restaurant, Napa Valley Grille, to get dinner. We were planning to return to Camp Snoopy after dinner to ride a rollercoaster and maybe play a game.
Our dinner at Napa Valley Grille was wonderful as always. We started off our meal with some wine chosen from their ample wine list and a bowl of amazing roasted butternut squash soup. I have never been a big fan of squash, but this was too tasty to pass up. For dinner, Mark had the grilled pork tenderloin while I went with the evening’s special of filet and scallops. Delicious! We ended the visit with a luscious dark chocolate molten cake. I highly recommend visiting Napa Valley Grille is you are in the Bloomington area, but it’s also well worth the drive to the mall area from anywhere in the metro.
After dinner, we took one last look at Camp Snoopy and decided we just weren’t up for rides and games. We decided that maybe a problem with the park is that it’s a great idea in theory – a nice place for parents to take their kids as a reward for good behavior after a long day of shopping. But when you get right down to it, it isn’t that fantastic. Now, I’m obviously not a child anymore, so maybe to them it’s still a fun mini-heaven. But Snoopy or no Snoopy, the Park at MOA just disappoints.
Saturday night Mark and I went out on the town with some friends for a belated birthday celebration for Mark. We started the night at Taste, which is a small wine bar connected to the Newsroom in downtown Minneapolis. Mark and I had been there once before, and it’s a great place to go with a few friends. The wine list is pretty extensive, and they also have a small list of hot and cold tapas. I highly recommend Taste for a low-key night out with a few friends or a place to cozy up with someone close.
Up next: Not sure yet, come back to find out!
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Babalú
Last night I had a meeting with my Alive After Five committee for Ad Fed. Ad Fed is the Advertising Federation of Minnesota, and the Alive After Five committee is sort of like the social committee. We plan a few events a year to provide a fun and relaxed atmosphere for advertising professionals to network and just kick back a little. Anyways, we got together last night to finalize the details of our annual wine tasting event, which will take place on February 2nd. The group decided to meet up at Babalú, the restaurant that has kindly offered to host the event for us, free of charge. Now, I think it’s great that the place is allowing us to use their space and promote our event, but it’s my blog so I get to say whatever I want. Babalú kinda sucked.
First, here’s the background on the place:
Babalú is located on Washington Avenue in the Warehouse District of downtown Minneapolis. The space itself is laid out with a dining area to the left separated by a large bar and lounge area to the right of the entrance. The Latin-Caribbean culture lends itself to the entire surrounding of the place – from the décor to the food to the wine selection. Deep reds combine with vibrant purple and yellow in the artwork to promote the cultural feel. The food reflects Mexican, Spanish and Caribbean tastes in a variety of offerings – tapas, appetizers, house entrees and desserts. The wine and specialty drink lists continue with this theme and contain various wines and rums from the regions listed. Live music is offered every night of the week, and an ample dance floor invites people to enjoy the sensuality of Latin music.
All of that sounds pretty good, right? Not so much.
We arrived at about 5:30, and the place was empty. That didn’t surprise me, because the live music didn’t start until well after 8:00 PM. We sat down, and were presented with a wine list. Because I don’t know a lot about Spanish wines, I was looking for a good recommendation. The waitress, although extremely nice and accommodating all evening, was little help with the wine selection. I chose a Sauv Blanc that was not terrible, but definitely not what I was looking for. After some official Ad Fed business, we ordered some food from the appetizer menu. There were only four of us, and only two of us were looking for a little morsel, so we ordered just the Empanadillas. Empanadillas are basically meat or cheese stuffed pastries, usually served with either a salsa for dipping or a salsa drizzled over the top of the pastries. And, empanadillas generally have a spice or kick to them. These empanadillas apparently missed that memo. They were bland and dry. The salsa that was served had a bit of a kick, but nothing one would expect from this sort of establishment. I was extremely disappointed. A bit later, we decided to order another appetizer to appease our displeasure, and our growling stomachs.
That was a big mistake.
For how bad the empanadillas were, the Ceviche de Mojarra was even worse. The waitress described the dish as white fish marinated with lemon and peppers. That sounded pretty good. And maybe a bit healthier than other dishes might have been. The dish came, and we had no idea what was even presented to us. On the plate lay fried plantain strips, fried tortilla strips, and a dish full of some sort of fish, lemon, avocado and pepper salsa. I was skeptical, but I wanted to at least give it a chance. I loaded some of the fish salsa onto a tortilla strip, and took a bite. And almost threw it all up. It tasted like what I always imagined pickled herring to taste like. It was awful. Others in the group tried it as well, and it was a major group consensus. We picked at the tortilla strips and the fried plantains, but left the fish salsa alone.
I really hesitated writing this review due to the fact that we are holding our event at this location. However, I will say that the décor of the restaurant and the overall atmosphere is fantastic for the event we’re holding. It will be the perfect place to entertain and network with other professionals. And, we aren’t serving food, so I don’t have to worry about that.
Overall, I was disappointed with the food and wine, but the ambiance was pleasant. I would not recommend this place, or return on my own. Too bad!
Next up: Camp Snoopy No More!
First, here’s the background on the place:
Babalú is located on Washington Avenue in the Warehouse District of downtown Minneapolis. The space itself is laid out with a dining area to the left separated by a large bar and lounge area to the right of the entrance. The Latin-Caribbean culture lends itself to the entire surrounding of the place – from the décor to the food to the wine selection. Deep reds combine with vibrant purple and yellow in the artwork to promote the cultural feel. The food reflects Mexican, Spanish and Caribbean tastes in a variety of offerings – tapas, appetizers, house entrees and desserts. The wine and specialty drink lists continue with this theme and contain various wines and rums from the regions listed. Live music is offered every night of the week, and an ample dance floor invites people to enjoy the sensuality of Latin music.
All of that sounds pretty good, right? Not so much.
We arrived at about 5:30, and the place was empty. That didn’t surprise me, because the live music didn’t start until well after 8:00 PM. We sat down, and were presented with a wine list. Because I don’t know a lot about Spanish wines, I was looking for a good recommendation. The waitress, although extremely nice and accommodating all evening, was little help with the wine selection. I chose a Sauv Blanc that was not terrible, but definitely not what I was looking for. After some official Ad Fed business, we ordered some food from the appetizer menu. There were only four of us, and only two of us were looking for a little morsel, so we ordered just the Empanadillas. Empanadillas are basically meat or cheese stuffed pastries, usually served with either a salsa for dipping or a salsa drizzled over the top of the pastries. And, empanadillas generally have a spice or kick to them. These empanadillas apparently missed that memo. They were bland and dry. The salsa that was served had a bit of a kick, but nothing one would expect from this sort of establishment. I was extremely disappointed. A bit later, we decided to order another appetizer to appease our displeasure, and our growling stomachs.
That was a big mistake.
For how bad the empanadillas were, the Ceviche de Mojarra was even worse. The waitress described the dish as white fish marinated with lemon and peppers. That sounded pretty good. And maybe a bit healthier than other dishes might have been. The dish came, and we had no idea what was even presented to us. On the plate lay fried plantain strips, fried tortilla strips, and a dish full of some sort of fish, lemon, avocado and pepper salsa. I was skeptical, but I wanted to at least give it a chance. I loaded some of the fish salsa onto a tortilla strip, and took a bite. And almost threw it all up. It tasted like what I always imagined pickled herring to taste like. It was awful. Others in the group tried it as well, and it was a major group consensus. We picked at the tortilla strips and the fried plantains, but left the fish salsa alone.
I really hesitated writing this review due to the fact that we are holding our event at this location. However, I will say that the décor of the restaurant and the overall atmosphere is fantastic for the event we’re holding. It will be the perfect place to entertain and network with other professionals. And, we aren’t serving food, so I don’t have to worry about that.
Overall, I was disappointed with the food and wine, but the ambiance was pleasant. I would not recommend this place, or return on my own. Too bad!
Next up: Camp Snoopy No More!
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