Jesse Ventura and Drag Shows

 

Dealt with some banking emergencies and last-minute thrift store runs in the morning and a few purchases in the early afternoon. Spent most of the afternoon and evening gazing at the four very purple chairs (my three favorites pictured above) which were delivered to Erik in the morning.

In the evening, Erik and I did the Saint Paul bar tour, including Trikks (stupid name but an OK place) and the Town House (unbelievably frightening place, especially since we were the only two customers). Election returns were coming in. Pro-wrestler Jesse Ventura was slowly but surely being elected governor. I felt like I was in the middle of a Simpsons episode.

I understand in some ways why many voters, particularly younger ones, opted for Jesse. He’s a complete outsider, and provided a unique opportunity to make a statement about the stagnant two-party system. A vote for Jesse Ventura was essentially a “fuck you” to the Democratic and Republican parties, a means of expressing dissatisfaction with their collective moral bankruptcy and lack of new ideas. But the fact remains that he’s basically an idiot. It will be interesting to see what happens now.

Anyway, we finished off the night at the always sedate Eagle and the Brass Rail. I am reminded that I don’t really miss drag shows.

Minneapolis

Bob Vila remained at home today while Bil and I toured the wilds of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, missing no White Castle, neon motel, nor thrift store which crossed our path. This was one of those mindless driving days, with no particular destination in mind. I love those.

 

We hit the ghost mall in Saint Paul (not as ghostly as it was a few years back, apparently). We visited this strange surplus store with funny signs. Bil bought used toys at the thrift store, so we went to K-mart for batteries. And then we ventured to the State Fair. Of course there was no fair in progress, so the crowds were a bit sparse, but the gopher was there in all his (her?) glory.

 

Monday night brought crappy pizza and Goth/Industrial Night at the Saloon. The Saloon was better. The Minneapolis version of this scene is not nearly as annoying as the versions on the coasts. These people actually seem to have senses of humor. And personalities. And lives. I even got hit on. Sort of.

More late food at the rock and roll Mexican place.

Minnesota Some More

A good night’s sleep is a wonderful thing. You might say I found paradise. Or you might say I was looking for a good way to tie in that picture above…

 

What to do on a Sunday afternoon in Northfield MN? We opted for a trip down the road to bustling Faribault, where one can find a good breakfast buffet as well as scope out locations used in the movie “Grumpy Old Men”. Neither of us really knew about the “Grumpy Old Men” part until these bikers drove up next to us on the main street. Just as we were freaking out wondering what they wanted with us (urban paranoia, y’know…), they proceeded to put on their “Minnesota nice” and tell us about the historic ground on which we walked. Note to self: appearances can be deceiving.

We hit a cool thrift store/antique mall/flea market thing in an old Kresge store downtown, got shakes at the A&W (after admiring the “A&W Man” out front), and then headed back to Northfield to tour the Carleton campus. Carroll showed me the new computer labs where she works and we played with the T1 line for a while. What unrepentant nerds we have become…

 

Back in Minneapolis, Erik was still in Bob Vila mode, sanding cabinets, stripping hinges, and other harshly butch crap like that. I couldn’t stand it anymore, so we had sex on the couch for a while, and were interrupted (why yes, just at that pivotal moment) by Bil, who showed up to take me on a sleazy bar tour. Erik, being a tad hungover after a trying Halloween, as well as a tad sticky, opted for sleep.

Unfortunately, all the sleazy bars we tried to hit were closed, and we ended up at this strangely endearing Chinese restaurant and bar called the Red Dragon. I had a beer. Bil had some disturbing-looking orange thing in a fishbowl.

Back home, Erik hadn’t managed to get to sleep. We finished the “project” we’d started earlier. Then we both slept.