Can't keep up

We arrived in Minneapolis yesterday afternoon and had a quick reunion with Kasey in Powderhorn Park.



We looked away for a minute and Nukah was swimming in the lake in pursuit of the ducks.



It turns out Nukah is a natural swimmer; he seemed unphased and a great fisher of algae.



In the evening we went to a Mexican buffet hosted by Jessie's family and then we made a trip to Mall of America.



This morning, I exposed Joe to the brilliance of Al's blueberry pancakes.



We spent some time and money at The Bookhouse where I used to work; they really cleaned up the joint.



Then we rocked the Walker for a dash of artsy tourism.



In the evening, we rushed to Jessie and John's wedding, but we were still a few minutes late.



I think the wedding made us feel romantic. Or maybe it was the wine.



My family. Love them.



It was fun to hang out with my big sister.



Bonnie looked beautiful.



So did the bride, Jessie.



Finally, I've caught up with my blog, but tomorrow promises to be another busy day. Time to rest.

Location:Central Ave NE,Minneapolis,United States

back to life, back to reality

I'm home in Minneapolis. Finished "Hula" which I recommend (I better, since it's supposed to be similar to how I write). I thought Lisa Shea did an amazing job describing scenes without hard-hitting emotional information. Maybe that doesn't make sense. I have no time to write since I'm going back to work today, but I'll explain more at a later date. I might just post my craft annotation once I've written it.

I'm reading "Collected Stories of Richard Yates." I have been in love with his writing since high school and it's so amazing that I get to dive right back in for this MFA. The picture I'm posting is a cover of one short story collection, "Eleven Kinds of Loneliness" that I really suggest you read. It's perfection.
In two days, Miles and I are going to Chicago to celebrate four years. So much is going on but I just wanted to write and say I'm alive and back home.
More details to come...

Happy Minneapolis Pride!

One More Thing!
Congratulations to Miles and the rest of the Gender Blur Gang for making wonderful big and beautiful puppets for this year's Minneapolis Pride. I wish I could see them in all their glory.
You're here, you're queer, you're fabulous!

Steinsky's Bagels

Miles and I have come up with a new business venture. Instead of all this nonsense schooling we're embarking on, I'm thinking I'll have better luck and more fun opening up a bagel stand at the Minneapolis Farmers' Market. We can make all the bagels on site and sell them to eat as you walk around or you can choose to buy a dozen to take home.

DO NOT STEAL THIS BRILLIANT IDEA!!!

This could happen. I just need a food license and I need to learn how to make bagels. Simple. Plus, I'm not sure if this is the kind of thing that can be done without a large oven.

Here's some of the key points:

1. Minnesotans love Jews. Sure, they don't know any and many may hae never even heard of bagels, but they really seem to like the idea of Jewish people and this could be our golden ticket.

2. We've got a major corner on the market, as they say. There are no bagels that are currently being sold at the farmers' market. Plus the only good bagels in Minnesota are in Saint Paul and this would be a Minneapolis business.

3. When people find out we're two Jews making bagels, we'll be famous. The New York Times Styles Section will want to do a spread (pun intended) on us to talk about the hip Jews in the midwest. Or better, the Travel Section will write about us as a must-see when visiting the midwest.

4. Here's how Miles came up with the business name. His ancestors shortened his last name from Ottenstein to Ott and my ancestors shortened my last name from Warsettsky to Warsett. Hence reclaiming the last names Stein + Sky = Steinsky.

5. You'll get to tell all your friends that you know two quirky people in the midwest who make bagels for a living.

Gili = Poop

I'm so used to the easy-going Minneapolis lifestyle that all this new stress is too much. Here are the reasons I'm stressed:

1. We have to move because our rent is being raised.

2. I was forced to say I would attend one of the graduate programs I got into and I haven't even heard from one of the schools still.

3. Miles is thinking about doing an extra program at the U where he could get a concentration in Global Health which would mean that we will live here for a third year.

4. My birthday is tomorrow and I'm feeling stressed.

5. Our favorite house that we've looked at is a block from these people that like us more than we like them. It would mean a lot of running into people.

6. I am having writer's mini-block from all the stress.

Here are the good things:

1. It's Passover and we're going to my uncle's for seder tonight.

2. The weather is perfect.

3. I go to Portland to see the back-in-school Riva next week.

Sorry this is boring and unfunny. I was going to write a long report on how to properly butter matzah but I just don't feel very energetic right now. I am a poop.

shingle white male

Last night was our fantastic hunt for the 24-hour pharmacy.

It turns out there's no such thing in Minneapolis. What kind of wack-hole city is this?

We found the golden Vicodin and sacred Valtrex at our fourth (or was it fifth) pharmacy in a suburb of Minneapolis.

Miles has spent the day hopped up on Vicodin. He can't tell the difference between "yes" and "no" and it's pretty fun to take him places.

I steered him about the grocery store and resisted my urge to yell out, "MY BOYFRIEND'S CONTAGIOUS WITH THE SHINGLES".

He's going to make it. I just know it.

blarney harney

*shalom from the holy land, minneapolis. so many jews, so little time. except not really at all.

*i saw something somewhere about how in order to really know yourself you have to be willing to step outside of your comfort zone, but that doesn't apply to me because it implies that you have a comfort zone to begin with. maybe i just haven't found a comfort zone to step out of. i'll work on that.

*my friends just got a puppy. it pees and poops a lot and it's pretty cute. here are my choices for what they should name her: melba toast, beezus, aunt melba, celery, shlomi, fenfen, levitra (this was my genius idea that they promptly turned down), thelonius, or doctor who. they only like some of my suggestions. miles is rooting for minerva but that's just sick.

*today water leaked all over the shakespeare books (sorry mom and dad) at the bookhouse. something about snow melting through the ceiling. we lost a bunch of good things and a bunch of things i was hoping to get rid of.
there was also water damage on a book of photographs of famous people in the bathtub. in a way, it was a self-fulfilling prophecy.

*one more grad application to go, baby.

*finally, i'm having my bimonthly (and what i mean by that is once every two months and not twice a month) gender dysphoria. this manifested itself in a manic shopping spree in which i purchased three tops, three pairs of shoes, a necklace, earrings, and goggles (the goggles aren't part of the dysphoria, silly. those are for swimming.) i am growing more and more tired of passing as an 18 year old straight girl. i didn't like being 18 the first time and i don't want to do it again. i am stuck in the middle: too little energy to try and dress like a straight person my age and too much fashion-sense to dress like a lesbian. i know, my life is hard. naturally buying a ton of clothes was the answer to my problems.

*this week's reading material: on the golden porch by tolstaya and black ice by lorene cary
*to celebrate the first day of spring (today), please listen to: spring is here by nina simone

Day 3: The Sun Also Rises In Minneapolis

I just got back from a long walk. It's in the fifties and sunny and I walked around the park in a tanktop. I just talked to a Bay Area friend (her name will not be used to protect her privacy).

She and I discussed The Ballad of the Sad Cafe.
I think it's true. There are two ways with love. To love and to be loved. I like having both go on with myself. I don't think it's better to love or to be loved. I think it's good to find a way to have both.
She said she would rather love.
I need a new book to read. I think I may stick with the McCullers theme and read The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter.

I found out that the youth I used to work with in the Bay Area still love me. It's good to have a fan club.

(Now, I will stop protecting the privacy of my beloveds:)

Also, I came up with one more reason why I should move to Key West:
I won't have any friends there (which Riva thinks is bad) but that will provide isolation so I can begin working on my writing without distraction.

And, today's music preference is: "Peaceable Kingdom" by Patti Smith. I dedicate my listening to it over and over to Ellen because eight years ago, she taught me the beauty of playing a song on repeat until your mind is cleared of everything but that music for weeks.

And Miles has a blog! I am thrilled.