Monthly Archives: September 2005

Even though yesterday’s seven turnover embarrassment of a meltdown by the Vikings left me glassy eyed and numb, I managed to recover in time to get the family on our bikes and pedal down to Lake Harriet for the Minnesota Orchestra’s free concert at the bandshell. Judging by the crowds, I wasn’t the only one. Seriously, it was probably the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen at a bandshell concert. (It easily stretched all way back up onto the hill beyond the bike path and the fancy new bathroom building.) We got there right as it was starting and found some great seats right up front on the grassy area to the side of the stage. Be-au-ti-ful.
Nutshell: the sound was spectacular, the crowd was full of kids and dogs and old people with huge sunglasses and everyone was smiling and having fun and there were lots of picnics and general merriment being made. I wish the orchestra came down more than once a year because they put on one hell of a show.
Details and setlist [mnorch]

At first glance the above picture may appear to be 1000 dirty hippies gathered at a Phish show, but if you look closer you’ll see that it’s actually a 1000 toddlers and their parents being brainwashed by a singing and dancing purple dinosaur. I took it last weekend at the Target Children’s Book Festival thing down at Hyland Park in Bloomington. It was quite a scene.
Ok, it really wasn’t that much of a scene, but the whole thing was much bigger than I expected. Good thing it was logistically flawless: park-and-ride shuttles from all over the area dropped you right at the gate, where you could pick up your free stuff (pass), go watch a book reading (check), listen to a wacky kids music concert (check), eat some kettle korn (pass), explore all the little tent-booths they had (pass) or just wander around and play in the park (check). They even had the park’s canoes and paddle boats available and you could just take one out for free, which we totally did and it was a totally mint day so that was a lot of fun. (No waiting for a boat during the purple dinosaur’s set, natch.)
Yes, the bullseye branding was punch-you-in-the-face everywhere, but all in all it wasn’t a bad little event. I’d go back.
Official Book Festival Site [target]
Hyland Park [3riverspark]

A reliable source has informed me that Paul Douglas does, in fact, drive a big ass Infinity SUV. I don’t know the exact model, so I’ll just assume it’s the QX monster truck series edition (13 city / 18 hwy).
Paul was last seen driving a lonely exurban road – windows down, music up, searching the horizon for the will to do the right thing.
Infiniti QX [infiniti]
what would belinda do? [doodledee]