Another Week in the Life...

Thanks so much for all the positive responses to the return of my blog! It was nice to be welcomed back with open online arms. :-)

This was another fun and busy week. Last Wednesday Tomkin and I had lunch with his parents, as we try to do each week. I haven't been going as often lately since I've been so busy. But I try to go when I can. Tomkin's dad always makes a delicious and healthy meal, and I enjoy catching up with Tom and Nancy. They are busy, busy, busy!Tomkin and I decided that we needed more shrubbery in our yard, so he recently planted four evergreen bushes and a lilac bush. On Thursday he planted three raspberry bushes. We have a little "rabbitat" in the yard--piles of leafy sticks, where we hope rabbits might want to hang out. Tomkin also just hung a bat-house in a big tree in our yard. Plus we've been putting out food for the squirrels. Next on our wish list are birdhouses!

Thursday night we attended the Think Water fundraiser at the Weisman Museum, hosted by the group Surge. We had met three of the women who organized the party when we were at the Sugar party at the aloft hotel a few weeks ago. This was their first event, and they really did a great job. They got sponsors to provide most of the food and drinks, and people volunteered to work the tables and take photos. So all the proceeds from the ticket sales and silent auction went toward building a well in Ethiopia. I'm not sure how much money they raised, but I know it was more than the $5,000 they were originally hoping for. Inside an installation art piece at the Weisman.

Tomkin and I enjoyed wandering through the museum (I'd never been there before) and chatting with other guests. We had some drinks and sushi, but we eventually decided we needed some heartier fare. So we headed to nearby Grumpy's Bar and got Juicy Lucys and tator tots. Delicious! Then we popped over to the Target Lounge at the Guthrie, where Dena and some other folks from Metro magazine were hosting an event called Creative Context. We chatted with Michael the publisher, Barbara the editorial director, Steve the photographer, and Dena, who is an advertising director. They're a really cool and interesting group of people.It was an unseasonably gorgeous day on Friday, so we decided to go for a bike ride. Our plan was to ride to the gym, work out, then go to a bookstore and coffeeshop. Tomkin actually bought me a bike last summer before I even moved here, but I had never used it! I honestly don't remember the last time I was on a bike. Tomkin had to fill up the tires, and then we realized my brakes didn't work. So we went to the Express Bike Shop, which is just a few blocks away. We waited about 20 minutes while a guy fixed my brakes, and then we headed out...only to discover that my brakes STILL didn't work. So we went back and waited another 20 minutes, and then we were finally good to go. We biked to the YWCA and worked out. By the time we were done, we were starving! So we walked to Costello's and took advantage of their happy hour. What better way to reward a good workout than with beer and a big plate of nachos?! We walked across the street to Common Good Books (owned by Garrison Keillor), and I used the gift card that Tomkin had gotten me as part of my birthday gift. I got Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors and The Big Book of Personality Tests for Women. Then we biked home. We were pooped!
Saturday morning I went to a program about book design that was sponsored by the Twin Cities chapter of the American Society of Indexers. If you want to read more about these work-related events, please check out my new blog, Writes & Wrongs. It was another beautiful day, so Tomkin and Chloe and I walked to the Merriam Park branch of the library. Tomkin and Chloe waited outside while I went in and checked out a bunch of books. (Tomkin goes through books more quickly than anyone I know!) We packed all nine books into Chloe's backpack, and she carried them home for us. She's such a good and helpful girl! When we got back, we gave Chloe a bath. (Well, Tomkin did most of the work, and I took pictures.) There was a time when Chloe hated being bathed. But Tomkin realized that all he has to do is give her treats throughout the process, and she's fine. He's really got a way with dogs.

Saturday evening we went to the Pilot Arts Group show at the 801 Lofts in Minneapolis. Our friend Dena, who works for Metro magazine, is married to one of the artists who was showing there. We saw Dena and her husband, John, and we got some food and drinks and then checked out the show. Tomkin loves to strike up conversations with people--sometimes they're boring, and sometimes they're really interesting! We spent a long time talking to L.K. Hanson, whose editorial cartoons appear regularly in the Star-Tribune. Tomkin with Dena and John Alspach at the Pilot 801 art show.Once again, by the end of the evening we were in need of substantial food, so we headed back to Grumpy's, where we devoured a Juicy Lucy and crispy, salty, delicious tator tots. Mmmmm....On Sunday (our six-month anniversary!), Tomkin and I drove up to Monticello, where we met Dad and Sandy for lunch at Guadalajara's. We did a combo celebration of my birthday and Sandy's--had a good lunch, opened presents, and sat and visited for a while. It's so nice getting to see them every month now! That evening, Tomkin and I took Chloe for our daily walk down Summit and Grand, and we happened to see Kris (aka Syd) and Dave eating at Salut. Tomkin and I went and got some coffee, and when we came back Kris and Dave were just heading home, so we all walked back together. (They live just a few blocks from us.) We all remarked on the incredible fall weather--what a treat!I got to have lunch with Rebecca on Monday. She and baby Leo picked me up, and we headed to Mango Thai, a new restaurant on Selby. It's a really cute place, and the food and service were both excellent. It was fun getting to hang out and talk with Becca, and Leo was really sweet and contented. They came back to our place and hung out for a bit, so Tomkin got to visit with Becca, too. Later that day, Tomkin and I checked out the happy hour at Salut. We hadn't been there before. It's a really cute place! And they've got a great happy hour ($3 drinks and food from 4-6). I actually started compiling a database of happy hours in the city because there are so many of them! It's a nice, inexpensive way to check out new places around the city. At Salut we got two pizzas, a plate of fries, and a beer for $13! Tuesday morning I got a call at 8:00am from someone whose brother in Shanghai needed an MBA program application edited asap. So I rushed to get it done (and made it!) before I headed to downtown Minneapolis to have lunch with Joe Weisman. I ran into him at last year's Carleton reunion but hadn't seen him since I moved to St. Paul. We went to Zelo and had a fabulous lunch. It was great to catch up with him. Last night Tomkin and I saw "A View from the Bridge" at the Guthrie. I found the first act completely riveting--one of the best things I've seen at the Guthrie. The second half lost me a little, but I still really enjoyed it overall.

This morning I attended an editors' roundtable sponsored by the Minnesota Magazine & Publications Association. (Again, check out Writes & Wrongs for more about this event, if you're interested.) Then this afternoon I joined Weight Watchers. All these parties and happy hours are catching up with me! I had my weekly phone call with my mom tonight. We started talking about getting the whole family back to Grand Forks for Christmas with Grandma next year. She would love that more than anything. Tomkin is off at poker now--when he gets back, we're planning to watch the finale of Project Runway. I think the show has been pretty weak this season (though I still love it). I'm opting (once again) not to watch the presidential debate. I tried a couple times, but it's just too frustrating. I prefer to read everyone's comments about it on Facebook!

Have a good week everyone, and thanks for reading my blog!

The Blog Is Back!

For months now, I've been meaning to catch up here, to post about travels (Duluth! Northfield! Chicago! Grand Forks! New York City!), dinners with friends, parties, political musings, adventures with Chloe, etc, etc, etc. Okay, let's be honest--that's probably never going to happen. Sure, I tell myself that "maybe someday when I don't have anything else to do," I'll go back and blog about some of the highlights of the past few months. (Though with Facebook, time-wrenching mistress that she is, there's always something to do....) In the meantime, it's time to move forward. My friend Amy (mom of Ripley) suggested I post once a week leading up to my 40th birthday and talk about what I've done during those last few days. So that is my new goal: On Wednesdays when Tomkin is at poker, and after I've talked with my mom, I will try to tear myself away from "Dancing with the Stars" and whatever project I'm editing to blog about what I've been up to during the week. And once I get to 40? Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there...in 364 days.So what has this last week entailed? It's been busy, productive, and incredibly fun. Last Wednesday, October 1, Tomkin and I took Chloe to the Minnehaha dog park. That place is absolutely incredible. And it will only get more beautiful now that the leaves are changing. Chloe ran around, climbed up a tree (one that had fallen over), waded in the river, and rolled around on God-only-knows-what. In other words, she had a fabulous time!
Wednesday evening I went to the Minnesota Magazine & Publications Association's annual "magazine celebration," which was held at Open Book in Minneapolis. I've been trying to go to more editorial-related events around town, and it's nice because I'm seeing some of the same people at various places and getting to talk with them. At this particular event, I was also doing some networking, getting my business cards out to people who might be looking for a freelance editor. (If you, by some chance, happen to be looking for a freelance editor, check out my services here.)

On Thursday, Tomkin and I checked out the free Metro happy hour at Restaurant Max in Minneapolis. We've been going to some Metro-sponsored parties lately (including the Sugar party at the aloft hotel and the Metro 100 party at the Chambers hotel) and, again, we're seeing some of the same people at the various events and getting to talk to them, which is fun. It's also a great way to check out new places around town. We had a great time at Restaurant Max--the place itself was really cool, the vibe was relaxed, and the food and drinks were delicious (and free!). Tomkin with Dena from Metro magazine and Dawn and Eden from Fabulous Catering.

Friday night we met up with our friend Peter (with whom we reconnected at this summer's Carleton reunion) and his girlfriend, Mandy, for dinner at Christo's in St. Paul. We spent about three hours eating, drinking, and talking. One of my favorite things in life is having dinner with friends, especially when the conversation is as satisfying and delicious as the food.Saturday was a very busy day. In the afternoon, we took Chloe to Doggie Palooza in St. Louis Park. The main thing I was interested in was getting Chloe to try out lure coursing. It's something that Rhodesian ridgebacks often do competitively, but Chloe (who turned eight in August) had never done it before. We waited for about an hour-and-a-half, and it was fun to watch the other dogs have a go while we were in line. One speedy greyhound lost control, tumbled over, and broke straight through the plastic fence! By the time it was Chloe's turn, she had built up a little fan club. Tomkin got her excited about "chasing the squirrel," and then a whole bunch of us cheered her on while she raced around the field! The first time around, she was totally focused and gave it her all. The second time around, she got about a quarter of the way through...and then turned around and trotted back to us. Even so, we were very proud of her! I couldn't help but wonder how Scout would have fared, as well. (It was almost five months to the day since he died.) We walked Chloe around the vendors' booths and let her run loose in the play area for a while. She seemed to have a great time, and we were really proud of her. Not bad for an old girl!Originally, I had thought about throwing a big party for my 39th birthday, but eventually I decided to scale back and just get together with a few friends. So that's what we did Saturday night.Tomkin picked up a cake for me from Wuolett's, and we had pizza delivered from Pizza Luce. We had about ten people over for dinner, cake, and champagne. It was a low-key but really fun evening.
We took it easy on Sunday. Tomkin had a meeting with a couple, and I did a little work. We went to REI and got some new winter clothes. Tomkin got me totally outfitted last year, but I still had a few cold spots (nose, butt & thighs, and hands), so he got me a long down coat, a face mask, and down mittens. Now I should have no excuse not to go for walks, even in the dead of winter! We also went to Goodwill to check out their furniture. I wanted to find a couch for my basement office--and I did! For only $30, no less. We also found a chair and lamp for Tomkin's dressing room (aka the spare bedroom). Tomkin drove me home and went back for the couch, which he brought home in his convertible. Chloe and I have already napped on it, and we give it our seal of approval!
On Monday, I finished editing the novel I've been working on for the last few weeks. Phew! I had finished up another project just a few days before. Work has been really steady lately--a lot of people are finding me through my Web site, thanks to the online talents of my amazing husband. Monday evening, we took a bunch of ice cream and headed over to Becca & Omar's. I still can't believe they have four sons. Wow! Those boys have a lot of energy. They're all really sweet and cute, though. And I can't believe how good baby Leo is! We ate and talked--it was nice to hang out and catch up.Then yesterday, October 7, was my 39th birthday. It was an absolutely incredible day. First of all, Tomkin hung gift bags in all the rooms on the main floor. He had gone to eight different stores on Grand Avenue (Avalon, Bibelot, Common Good Books, Flirt, Garden of Eden, Paper Patisserie, Patina, and Picky Girl) and bought me a gift and a gift certificate from each one. All the stores are within walking distance of our house, so now when we're out for a walk, I can go in and pick something out! I thought that was a really cool gift. I also opened presents that my mom had sent. I got e-cards, Facebook greetings, phone calls, cards, and other good wishes (including an Indian singing telegram!) throughout the day, which was really fun.Tomkin and I got lunch at the new Punch Pizza on Grand. We both got goat cheese and prosciutto--my favorite! We headed into Minneapolis and got coffee at Dunn Bros, then went to the Mill City Museum. We had originally planned to spend the day at the zoo, but we switched up our plans since it was raining. And we had a fabulous time at the museum! It was really fun--I highly recommend it. We learned a lot about milling, flour, and Minneapolis. (I know it doesn't really sound that fun, but trust me, it is.) We headed home to rest for a bit (and check in on Facebook), then we went out for dinner at Barbette in Minneapolis. Neither of us had been there before, but we'd heard great things about it. And we both loved it! It was warm and cozy, with a bit of a Moulin Rouge vibe. We split three appetizers (mussels, cheese fondue, and pomme frites), and I had a glass of champagne. For dessert, I had chocolate pots de creme. Fabulous! Our last stop for the day was Prohibition, the new bar on the 27th floor of the Foshay Tower. I ordered an Epiphany (pear vodka, elderflower liqueur, and Veuve champagne--Carrie and Lisa, you would have loved it!), and we sat in shiny white leather chairs and looked out at the lights of the city. It's funny how my birthday ended up being such a Twin Cities-centric day, but that's certainly appropriate! It was a really amazing birthday--quite a way to kick off my countdown to 40!