Busy Weekend!
After I posted my last real blog entry, I started one of the busiest Saturdays I've ever had. I headed over to William Mitchell College of Law for an Election Protection training. It re-affirmed why I dislike so many of my fellow lawyers. I am very worried about how messy this election (ONE WEEK FROM TODAY) is going to be. There was a story in the New York Times on Saturday about the Republican Party's effort to put challengers in every precinct in Ohio cities with a large "urban" (read black) population. There was also a television news story last night about the many challengers the Republican party is planning to send to polls right here in Minnesota. I'm pretty sure those guys aren't going to be challenging the voters in Edina and Woodbury. My greatest fear is that all of this challenging will create long lines and people will decide not to vote because it takes too long. PLEASE don't let the election be manipulated like that - You have the right to vote!!!
A couple of my law school friends attended the same training, so we went out for lunch at Cafe Latte afterwards and chatted. At 2:00, there was a reading by Augusten Burroughs at Bound to be Read. I got there at 1:35 and all of the chairs were taken and there was already a huge crowd around the table he was going to sit at. I decided to tough it out anyway, but about 15 minutes later a book seller said to make sure you had a red ticket if you wanted your book signed, as they would line up according to your number on the ticket. I realized that I would have no chance to get my book signed without a really long wait in line, so I gave up on that idea. I went into the cafe, where they had a big screen tv set up to show Mr. Burroughs, and tried out the new CD burning station and listened to the reading. After he finished the reading, I went up to the cash register to pay for my new CD and heard, "Hi, Renee". At first I didn't recognize him, then I realized it was one of my best buddies from high school. I was a big debate geek and we were on the debate team together. It's been at least 15 years since I last saw him. So cool!!
The reason I was in such a hurry to get out of BTBR was I wanted to check out the Stitch to Win event at the Mall of America. The Mall was absolutely jam packed. I may not go back again until 1/15, unless it's during the middle of a work day. I thought the event would be bigger than it was, so I headed for the rotunda. Not there. I make my way around the Mall of America and finally find them in one of the Department Store Courts. (Nordstrom?) Anyway, there wasn't a speaker when I got there - it was a woman playing piano and singing. None of the speakers sounded all that enticing, so I decided not to stick around for long. I checked out all of the tables and picked up a "Learn to Needlepoint" kit for a small donation. I thought about stopping by the Needlepoint table and having someone show me how to do it, but I wanted to just get out of there, so I'll have to figure it out on my own. On the way out to the car, I found a tweedy jacket that I really liked. Tweed is really in this fall, but a lot of the jackets I've found in my size have fringe, a look I don't really like. I found a cute tweed suit that fit and then since it was on sale, I got a long tweed jacket. I didn't even plan to add shopping to my list this weekend, but since I was walking right past it and I had been looking for a while....
In the evening, I volunteered to help at the Artwear in Motion show. The show was pretty cool, but it seems hard for me to believe that anyone would wear most of that stuff. It is art, though, so perhaps people buy it to support the artists and display it. I actually knew one of the artists from a workshop I took at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts when they had the Kaffe Fassett exhibition, so I wanted to ask her if she thought a buyer would wear her pieces, which were knit from copper wire and other materials. But, I thought that might be gauche, so I didn't. Here are some pictures from last year's show, to give you an idea of the type of materials they display.
Sunday was, of course, a football day. We cheered the Vikings on to victory and came out of the Metrodome to a glorious, sunny day. It's a day like that where you wish there was an outdoor stadium. Of course, on 12/24 I'll probably be glad to be sitting inside the teflon dome.
Yesterday John Cusack was in town to campaign for John Kerry at a lot of the local colleges. I would have LOVED to see him, but unfortunately I had two hearings yesterday, so I couldn't make it :-(. I could have worn my Cusack for President button. I did manage to work some more with my waning supplies of pink yarn last night:
Almost done with the first sleeve, but that's the last ball of yarn I have. It doesn't look so purpleish- the other photos I've posted are more accurate. I was out earlier than usual taking my photos this morning, so I didn't have a lot of light. I did snap a couple of Finbar, though. Here's an action shot of him running:
And here's one of him as I'm calling out his name to come inside.
Your nonchalance does not fool me dog, I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!!!!
A couple of my law school friends attended the same training, so we went out for lunch at Cafe Latte afterwards and chatted. At 2:00, there was a reading by Augusten Burroughs at Bound to be Read. I got there at 1:35 and all of the chairs were taken and there was already a huge crowd around the table he was going to sit at. I decided to tough it out anyway, but about 15 minutes later a book seller said to make sure you had a red ticket if you wanted your book signed, as they would line up according to your number on the ticket. I realized that I would have no chance to get my book signed without a really long wait in line, so I gave up on that idea. I went into the cafe, where they had a big screen tv set up to show Mr. Burroughs, and tried out the new CD burning station and listened to the reading. After he finished the reading, I went up to the cash register to pay for my new CD and heard, "Hi, Renee". At first I didn't recognize him, then I realized it was one of my best buddies from high school. I was a big debate geek and we were on the debate team together. It's been at least 15 years since I last saw him. So cool!!
The reason I was in such a hurry to get out of BTBR was I wanted to check out the Stitch to Win event at the Mall of America. The Mall was absolutely jam packed. I may not go back again until 1/15, unless it's during the middle of a work day. I thought the event would be bigger than it was, so I headed for the rotunda. Not there. I make my way around the Mall of America and finally find them in one of the Department Store Courts. (Nordstrom?) Anyway, there wasn't a speaker when I got there - it was a woman playing piano and singing. None of the speakers sounded all that enticing, so I decided not to stick around for long. I checked out all of the tables and picked up a "Learn to Needlepoint" kit for a small donation. I thought about stopping by the Needlepoint table and having someone show me how to do it, but I wanted to just get out of there, so I'll have to figure it out on my own. On the way out to the car, I found a tweedy jacket that I really liked. Tweed is really in this fall, but a lot of the jackets I've found in my size have fringe, a look I don't really like. I found a cute tweed suit that fit and then since it was on sale, I got a long tweed jacket. I didn't even plan to add shopping to my list this weekend, but since I was walking right past it and I had been looking for a while....
In the evening, I volunteered to help at the Artwear in Motion show. The show was pretty cool, but it seems hard for me to believe that anyone would wear most of that stuff. It is art, though, so perhaps people buy it to support the artists and display it. I actually knew one of the artists from a workshop I took at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts when they had the Kaffe Fassett exhibition, so I wanted to ask her if she thought a buyer would wear her pieces, which were knit from copper wire and other materials. But, I thought that might be gauche, so I didn't. Here are some pictures from last year's show, to give you an idea of the type of materials they display.
Sunday was, of course, a football day. We cheered the Vikings on to victory and came out of the Metrodome to a glorious, sunny day. It's a day like that where you wish there was an outdoor stadium. Of course, on 12/24 I'll probably be glad to be sitting inside the teflon dome.
Yesterday John Cusack was in town to campaign for John Kerry at a lot of the local colleges. I would have LOVED to see him, but unfortunately I had two hearings yesterday, so I couldn't make it :-(. I could have worn my Cusack for President button. I did manage to work some more with my waning supplies of pink yarn last night:
Almost done with the first sleeve, but that's the last ball of yarn I have. It doesn't look so purpleish- the other photos I've posted are more accurate. I was out earlier than usual taking my photos this morning, so I didn't have a lot of light. I did snap a couple of Finbar, though. Here's an action shot of him running:
And here's one of him as I'm calling out his name to come inside.
Your nonchalance does not fool me dog, I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!!!!
rdladd@arnan.com
