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This year, we didn't have a sled entered, but I did go to watch and see everyone else's creations. But after trying to wrangle two excited dogs and three wild kids, we cut it short and went back home after a few rides down the slopes nearby.
Our friend, Jen, held an awareness event to honor her father who died of cancer complications due to Agent Orange exposure during the Vietnam War. Although cold and wet, it was a good turnout.
Danielle joined us for her first Con experience this year. We spent our time wandering, people watching, and drinking lots. This time around we stayed at the hotel and partied it up!
The Current sponsored the annual David Bowie tribute concert with covers by local musicians down at First Ave. It was a stellar show with lots of familiar faces.
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Danielle and I did the Aids walk last Sunday. The route along both sides of the Mississippi River was just over 6 miles. Bubba came along, but Sid has a built in limit of about 2 miles before he drops and says no more. So I took Kari's dog Snickers instead (I was still watching he and Gizmo for the weekend). Snickers didn't know what to do with himself with so many people and other dogs around. Talk about excitement overload. After the first few miles he calmed down and concentrated on moving forward, though.
Everyone who walks raises money for the fundraiser and earns the right to walk. In our case, Target sponsored our inclusion and we wore the tell tale red T-shirts. Even the two dogs were given red Target bandanas to wear. :) Free snacks, beautiful weather, and tons of encouraging volunteers along the way made for a great way to spend the afternoon supporting a very worthwhile cause.
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I decided last minute to join friends for Goth Prom at the Saloon. Tons of people were there dressed up in their finery of the night. Lots of eye candy and fun.
Team Premium (Crystal, The Pants, Jessica, Claire, Bertine, Sid (the mascot), and I) participated in our first Powderhorn Park Art Sled Rally this year. An event where neighbors gather at the park to watch as about 30 elaborately crafted sleds go down the hill. It was spectacular!
We created a giant 6-pack of Premium Grain Belt beer to slide down in. A platform of 2x6's and 2x3's rested on top of a pair of cross country skis sacrificed to the project. Atop this, we screwed on side panels of chip-board on which we spent 3 hours painting the Premium logos. The build pics are here.
The rally was great. The hill was a LOT larger than I anticipated and some were skeptical that we may not survive a trip down such a slope in a beer box of death. In the end, Sid did not ride and Claire took his place. (This was probably a smart idea as Sid might have gone airborne otherwise.) As we went down the hill, we were steered along the center until the drop off over which we took off at full speed.
Immediately at the bottom was a snow covered sidewalk that formed quite a bump. When the sled hit it, the sled stopped and we did not. (see the videos below.) Crashing through the front, the Pants and I face-planted into the snow and everyone else tumbled out as the wreckage continued down the hill. The roars of laughter and the cheering was deafening as we raised our arms in triumph and picked up our sled parts.
After watching the rest of the sleds go down the hill (in various degrees of success), we went back to the Manfort for martinis and beer. Nothing but Grain Belt of course. :)
Watch the videos posted so far after the jump... read more »
Last Tuesday, I joined Tiffiny and Allison for the Wake Up World Hootenanny at the Parkview Theater. After a short wait in line, we were sat front row in/by the leather couches. Woot! Perfect for a picture taking frenzy. :) Wheeled status does have its advantages.
I was excited, I hadn't been to one of Jim's Hootenannies for a long time and tonight's was special in its political nature. We were not disappointed.
The schedule was thus: read more »
6:30: Doors
7:00: Wake Up World! With Lizz Winstead and crew
Okay - the influx of today's traffic peeking at the goober-pics from this last weekend need no introduction. But the rest of you might. A "Con" is the term attached to various conventions or gatherings where likeminded people "converge" in one area and geek out to their particular fetish. Dragoncon and Comic-con are a couple of popular examples.
I've somehow remained blissfully ignorant of all this and since high-school have more or less abandoned my nerdlike demeanor, (although that might be hard to argue). Regardless, having no other plans for Independence Day, I followed my friend, Geoff's, advice and attended CONvergence. This year was special because it was the 10 year anniversary of said Con and an extra day was added. So four days of geeking out and swilling alcohol -- sounded like a fine time to me! :)
A few friends joined me and our posse hung out for most of the time. I was dually impressed with the level of effort that went behind the various party suites and costumes. It was like a four day Halloween party with the "trick-or-treats" being colorful shots of god knows what. :) :) Here are a few highlights that I enjoyed: read more »
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A couple of years ago, my good friend Henry's son, Cameron, was diagnosed with a large cancerous tumor in his head. Dubbed "the peach", Henry and Cameron survived one hell of an ordeal that involved extensive surgery to remove 95% of the tumor and months of chemotherapy to battle the remainder.
Cameron, who recently turned 13, has been quite the trooper. After his surgery, the recovery was a very steep hill that he surmounted and surpassed. Despite his amazing journey, however, Cameron's tumor has grown back. This time the growth is too extensive for surgery to be an option. Regardless of his diagnosis, Cameron maintains a positive outlook and continues against odds to battle his head's intruder. He is really a remarkable young man. read more »
