When I go downtown to Dawson Taylor coffee shop in the mornings I use the 15 minute walk to just let my mind wonder, sometimes I will imagine what it would be like if it snowed more, and how the population here is better off being small here (simply due the the close mindedness that this city. Only if there was a way to keep these people from breading), but most importantly I think about what I as a simple person could do for this place, but not just this place, anywhere I am. What significant difference could I make. After my walk is finished I go inside the small coffee shop and order my $1 cup of coffee and sit down at a table and open my computer, I forget about what is going on around me, and enjoy the steam coming up from my green paper cup. A 15 minute walk just for this experience.

eye-fi

 this nifity little card can help you with all of your photography needs, from sending your pictures to your favorite online image service to loading onto your harddrive at home.

if you can't get enough of that, the photos you take can be "geotagged", meaning that you can trace where your photos were taken as you take and go.

Photo Friday

Relaxing

when going out for a night on the town with your friends and loved ones, remember that there are etticacy, rules to follow, my friend Boiseeboy posted them on his page, so you should go through this link to see them
boisee.com

Other than that I had just got a kitten, he is very sweet, and we named him sesshoumaru, we will see if he gets into mischief

two today? I have been neglecting it a bit over the past week, so why not

today is Monday, lets get some bad day pictures on here, and hope that you don't have one yourself.

sometimes do you feel in the mood to do something different?

Some buildings are built to be visually appealing, but instead of the building itself, I like to get the raw view

like this angle of a Wells fargo bank right->
in Boise ID, if you look up long enough you may get a little bit dizzy, I have proved that once or twice. It is probably one of the tallest buildings in town, but "The Boise Tower" was supposed to rise way above that, talking about the thing that didn't. I will have more on that in a future post, at least if they decide to do anything with the big gaping hole that sits idly waiting with the metal rusting inside.





Here in the twin cities there is more of a metropolitan look to the buildings, much taller, and more curves and angles, I guess this is where you say build up and not out, as the buildings grow in height, the sky starts to diminish, but it is kind of interesting how the the wind patterns change so much around tall buildings. One of the stories that I have heard is that a tornado was just minutes away a few years ago, but the wind difference made the tornado veer away just before downtown got hit. Fascinating, I would love to see the proof to the story some how.

Growth

this weeks photo Friday is Growth, and I think that the aging plant life around an old church fits in that category.

chaos.

"Sometimes you will find the most random things, just by walking down the street!"
-Me

"Chaos is the score upon which reality is written"
-Henry Miller








I was out downtown during St. Patricks day, and nothing seemed as if it was really normal in the cities, Green faces, only a couple homeless bums downtown, the few bums downtown seemed sober, and the guys in business suites were drunk by dinner time.
Trying to host a fun weekend for a friend from out of town wasn't all that hard, just walking around, and looking at the sites. I also took a couple hundred pictures that I still need to sift through, while trying not to think about shoes!! (that will be a post all on it's own)


"And so I am become a knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows!"Mark Twain

Another Photophriday

bar-b-q

this weeks photo Friday is heat, and there is nothing hotter than fire

tired? Try something new

The right foods — and a little bit of caffeine — can make all the difference


If you can’t get out of bed in the am, fall asleep at your desk in the afternoon, have trouble keeping up with your kids or find yourself dragging through the day, the following SIX strategies can help increase your energy level!

Get enough sleep:
You’ll obviously feel tired and sluggish without enough sleep. But research also shows that sleep deprivation can be detrimental to your health and weight. Aim for 8 hours a night.

Avoid late night high-fat meals
Eating high fat, high salt, high calorie meals before bed – can zap your early am energy and make it hard to get out of bed in the morning. Sort of like a food hangover.

Eat breakfast:
Numerous studies have shown that eating a healthy breakfast can help people feel better both mentally and physically during the morning hours.

Try moderate caffeine
Caffeine is currently the most widely used stimulant in the world and scientific studies confirm that caffeinated beverages like coffee can help keep you temporarily alert and focused. So feel free to enjoy a few cups of joe, but certainly know your personal tolerance level and don’t solely rely on caffeine as your means to stay energized. What’s more, be sure to “decaffeinate” by late afternoon so the caffeine doesn’t keep you awake at night (see #1!). Caffeine typically peaks within the first hour and can linger in your system between 3 and 8 hours, so adjust accordingly.

8-ounce cup of coffee = approximately 100 milligrams caffeine

One cup black tea = approximately 40 milligrams caffeine

One cup green tea = approximately 20 milligrams caffeine

Keep your body hydrated:
Water is needed to maintain a healthy body, a clear mind, and a good balance within your tissues. About 60% of your body is water and to function efficiently, you must stay hydrated. How much is enough? The Institute of Medicine recommends about nine 8-ounce cups of fluid per day for women and thirteen 8-ounce cups of fluid per day for men. Even more if you live in a super hot climate or are very physically active. Sounds like a lot, but rest assured, it adds up quickly… and although water is your best bet, ALL fluids count (including coffee, tea and milk in your cereal). Even juicy fruits and vegetables!

Prevent dips in blood sugar:

* Eat every 4 to 5 hours: Eating consistently throughout the day provides your brain and body with a constant source of fuel. This 4-5 hour eating strategy can dramatically prevent dips in your blood sugar levels. Some people with diagnosed hypoglycemia may need to eat even more frequently (every 2-3 hours).
* Limit refined carbohydrates to help lessen volatile blood sugar swings: Concentrated sources of sugar like soda, candy, fruit juice, jam, and syrup can create radical spikes in your blood sugar – which often leaves you feeling tired a couple of hours later. And although refined, white starch like white bread, crackers, bagels, and rice do not naturally contain sugar compounds, they are metabolized into sugar very quickly and can often create the same affect. Instead incorporate high quality carbs like vegetables, fruit, beans, peas, lentils, brown and wild rice, and oatmeal.
* Incorporate soluble fiber: Foods rich in soluble fiber have the ability to slow down the absorption of sugar in your blood and therefore, help to level blood sugars and energy. Incorporate oats, brown rice, barley, apples, pears, strawberries, oranges, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, and beans into your diet.
* Incorporate protein with meals and snacks (whenever possible): The addition of protein to a meal will help slow the absorption of carbohydrate in the blood. This can help you feel energized and productive for hours after eating.

bad day?

I don't think that your day has been any worse than these people

This weeks Photo Friday "Addiction"

Sake---Sake---Sake---Sake---Sake---Sake---Sake---Sake---Sake---Sake---Sake---Sa

ke---Sake---Sake---Sake---Sake---Sake---Sake---Sake---Sake---Sake---Sake---Sake-

from the distant past

This painting is of a ship or style of ship used during the midievil times of the world, a row boat coming from a flagship with one person in it, probably a messenger for a diplomatic mission.
Something that we miss from midievil art work is the time and effort used in creating the paintings, usually the painter would have to make his own oils for the painting out of linseed oil, and combining wax to make the painting last longer, then add color wherever he/she could find it, the next step would be to make the paint brushes using horse hair, eyelashes, his/her own hair, or root hairs, The canvas would be whatever was available. Next the artists gets to finally make their masterpiece, if they mess up, it is right back to the beginning.

Minnesota Timberwolves

I have never gone to a professional basketball game until last night, it was a very enjoyable experience, the wolves vs. the mavs.
Minnesota did not do to well as they were down the entire game, but I did have fun none the less. Pictures to follow when I can sort through the mass amounts that I took, for the very few that were clear.

interesting,

no need to say anything, JUST WATCH

snow day

Today was an interesting day, at least for anyone who wanted to drive, the roads were slick, and the snow was covering everything, all intersections were packed with slush and ice, and the cars were moving at a slow crawl.
I did notice that the snow plows were out at full force, but they could not keep up with the falling snow. Nothing was going to easy for anyone traveling, people like me, who walk or ride our bikes, just had to do our best to get anywhere as well. The sidewalks were covered everywhere, and in some places the snow was almost 2 feet high.
I do have to say that it was kind of fun though, the first huge snow fall all year, and all within a day or two, makes you feel like a child again

sad disposition

With the flu still going around, more people are trying to get their flu shots, especially after the 44 year old fire fighter died earlier this winter from the awful illness, but the latest turn of events was in the local star tribune newspaper today
"Lucio, was just another happy-go-lucky St. Paul second-grader who loved baseball, hip-hop and riding inner tubes behind boats.

Then he contracted a cough and fever, and was taken to a clinic. A few days later, after going to the hospital, Lucio was dead from pneumonia." according to Star tribune"
It is kind of scary that our children and a loved ones are contracting such a hard sickness, and worse, some of them aren't able to fight it off.

see where you are?

Create your own visitor map!

Most of you who read this (if any) have never been to the twin cities, this is what the cities look like to somebody just coming in, you have nothing on the left, nothing on the right, then BOOM, like you have been hit, a thriving growing city. It is almost like it came out of a movie.
Where I am getting to, is that the movie Factotum was shot right here in this city, and I have seen most of the sights you will see in that movie, if you end up with nothing to do and a weekend, just go down to the nearest rental store and pick it up. It is a nice long movie to take your mind off of your problems and try to figure out somebody elses.

winter is gone

looks like the weather is warming up around the country, I went outside wearing a t-shirt and flip flops to check the mail today, I haven't been able to do that in quite a while.

cold and icy

If you need something to do for a little bit of fun for the family or just a date, why don't you head down to the Depot ice skating rink in downtown Minneapolis.

We spent about 3 hours going around in simple circles at the Depot yesterday to find that it wasn't half bad, a lot of families came, young children with their training bars and of course you have those teens that have to go somewhere to keep out of trouble.
This building used to be a large train depot, and it still has its large chimney stack, and a few reminiscent tracks on the outside, but the inside was a nice and warm area to be, with the temperatures up to 30 degrees inside really beats the cold outside.

Photo friday

This weeks photo friday is the self portrait

today in history

Sometimes you can look back and see what great things we as humans have done for the world, than we look ahead and realize how much we destroy!

February 16th in History
1913: President Taft agrees not to intervene in Mexican civil war
1937: Nylon is patented
1956: Britain abolishes the death penalty
1959: Fidel Castro becomes the President of Cuba, overthrowing Fulgenico Batista
1960: The nuclear powered submarine 'Triton' sets off on its
round the world underwater voyage

when we do something for another person it makes us feel good about ourselves, so just think, what do we need to do to feel great?

Today's Word of The Day:

Sanguine [san·guine] adj. Cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident: "a sanguine disposition;" "sanguine expectations."

Today's Word of The Day:

Eclectic [e·clec·tic] adj. 1. Composed of elements drawn from various sources 2. Not following any one system, but selecting and using what are considered the best elements of all systems. "An eclectic taste in music; an eclectic approach to managing the business.

it looks like we will be able to almost wear our t-shirts tomorrow because it is going to be a high of 15° F, I don't know if I will be able to handle it being so warm.

Fall in Minnesota, it is beautiful, but it also means that winter will be coming soon. We have survived multiple days of negetive degree tempuratures, including a couple -30 degree days, but spring will be here, and that is a wonderful site to stick around for, or so I am told!

in the sky

Twin City sky