Month: June 2007

  • American Aluminum. Good for cans. Bad for engines.

    So I am sitting here at Starbucks this morning and I just overheard something that troubles me. A guy having a drink with his coffee klatsch is saying to his buddy that his “engine blew up” after three years and needs to replaced. It is an aluminum block engine in a Cadillac. That would make…

  • Amateur Psychos

    VARIETY by Eeva-Liisa Waaraniemi The name is a bit misleading — Amateur Psychologists Convention. I was a tad let down when I found out that the APC is actually a variety show of “folk and future music, stories, poetry, dance and film.” That sounds pretty darn good, actually, but it’s not the same as a…

  • This Is The Life

    Ratatouille. Now showing in theaters everywhere. Directed and written by Brad Bird Someday, audiences and critics will wake up from their studio-induced stupor, rub their eyes and realize that Brad Bird is en par with the greatest filmmakers in the firmament. I mean, really, if you see enough movies at the Cineplex, taking in whatever…

  • Brewhaha

    Last night I had a particularly tasty brew. I’m in Denver and while dining at the Denver Chophouse and Brewery, I happened upon their Wild Turkey Barrel Conditioned Stout. After home-brewing the stout, they “cure” it for a time in used bourbon barrels. Being a bourbon girl, and a stout girl, it was like winning…

  • For the Young at Heart

    MUSIC by Eeva-Liisa Waaraniemi All That Jazz Jazz artists are not just middle-aged or elderly men, although that may be a common assumption. At this weekend’s Twin Cities Jazz Festival more than a few talented young ‘uns are getting into the groove. Alto-saxophonist Grace Kelly, who’s hardly turned fifteen, will be “gracing” the stage with…

  • The Best Of All Possible Worlds: Get Away Day At The Dome

    If you’re the sort of fan who has an appreciation for both the home team and the history of the sport, today’s Twins/Jays finale was a pretty fabulous proposition all around, particularly if you were one of the 31,038 folks in attendance at the Dome to see Frank Thomas’ 500th home run in an 8-5…