Rooftop Movie: Harry Potter 7.1

Summer rooftop movies are all the rage in Minneaoplis before the snow starts to cover up all the patios. Among the rooftop enthusiasts is Brit’s Pub by my house, an excellent English pub with fabulous happy hour, lawn bowling, and now movies! And given that I have yet to see the second to last Harry Potter movie and am still #272 on the library’s waitlist for a loan copy, I was glad Jannine found out they were screening it on Monday.

Labor Day Cookout

We’re soaking up the last month of enjoyable (read: bearable) weather in the Twin Cities. I’m not usually a big Labor Day celebrator, but since we have the day off from school and it’s our last chance at some relaxation, Susanne kindly threw together a little cookout.

MN State Fair!

Obligatory post about the “Great Minnesota Get-Together.” ‘Nuff said, I can’t even think of a better intro teaser than that.

Puzzle Night!

I’ve heard that people don’t truly experience the city they are living in until they are about ready to move away. Then, it’s like this sudden urgency to hit all the sights and do everything “one last time” takes over and people squeeze 5 years worth of goodness into 5 hours. That’s kind of like how summer in Minneapolis is for graduate students. It is only when the impending doom of classes, teaching, and research in the dead of the dark Minnesota winters is upon us that we really begin to relish and live up our summertime freedom.

Music and Movies in the Park

Summer is great in Minnesota because the people spend 7-8 months holed up indoors, bundled in overcoats and mittens and hats, that when the thermometer starts to read above 50’F they get all “Minnesotans Gone Wild.” That means wild about repairing roads, wild about biking and/or walking everywhere, wild about taking up every inch of patio space during happy hour, and wild about free events in the park. One of the most popular is the Music and Movies in the Park series.

Food Truck Court

Normally I “take-a-day” Thursday, but I’ve been meaning to take a Wednesday off instead for some time now. That’s because this summer, on Wednesdays only, there is a “food truck court” in downtown St. Paul. It’s a legit place, it even has it’s own Google Map location! That’s pretty serious.

Aventuras en mi Cocina!

Adventures in my kitchen!! Because I’m usually so busy during the week, I have to save all my cooking for Sunday afternoons. I try to get all my schoolwork done so that all I do on Sunday is cook, laundry, and watch movies. Bliss.

Twin Cities Open – USA Powerlifting Meet

Ok ok, perhaps not all my readers are CrossFit or Powerlifting enthusiasts, but I’m going to post about this event because it took up a big chunk of my time today and hey, isn’t that what living the untethered lifestyle is all about? I’m not tied down to anything that makes me leave an 8-hour day at a powerlifting competition???

Minneapolis Fringe Festival

Earlier this week, Jannine and I had a rendezvous at Sebastian Joe’s ice cream, hands down the best place to get ice cream in the Twin Cities. And I would know, I’ve tried them all…perhaps a topic for another post. Anyway, while at this rendezvous, Jannine invited me to a friend’s sketch comedy show as part of the Minneapolis Fringe Festival, and I gladly accepted the chance to experience the artsy culture scene!

Breakfast at Birchwood Cafe

In the same vein as “take-a-day Thursdays,” my (soon-to-be-no-longer…sadness) officemate, Ally Williams, and I have taken to doing “Friday breakfast at Birchwood Cafe” days. Here’s the skinny on this local neighborhood gem that is not exactly helping me with the “skinny” aspect of my life.