ElfYourself™ : Brought to you by OfficeMax®

ElfYourself™ : Brought to you by OfficeMax®

Doug send us this. :)

I, Cringely . The Pulpit . Getting to Know You | PBS

I, Cringely . The Pulpit . Getting to Know You | PBS

It's Time to Get Mad About the Economy (Wal-Mart, Target, Nordstrom General Motors) | SmartMoney.com

It's Time to Get Mad About the Economy (Wal-Mart, Target, Nordstrom General Motors) | SmartMoney.com

Cynical, and yet quite thought provoking.

Interesting that it only takes a week of a down market [down 4% last week, 6% last month] to turn everyone bearish.

Good news is we are all still up [me 16% YTD]. But is sucks to see some recent gains evaporate.

I guess it's easy come easy go.

Pentagon Urges Space-Based Solar Power

Pentagon Urges Space-Based Solar Power: "It is impossible to switch to Ethanol. The Ethanol industry's own data (each gallon of Ethanol produced yields an excess of 17,000 BTUs. 125,000 BTU/gal Gasoline / 17,000 BTU/gal excess = 7) shows that it takes SEVEN gallons of Ethanol to replace ONE gallon of Gasoline. The average yield of Corn is 135 Bu/acre and each Bushel of Corn yields 2.68 Gal of Ethanol. To replace Gasoline with Ethanol made from Corn grown in the US would require 44 Million MORE acres of agricultural land than the TOTAL acres of agricultural land available in the US. Add to that the fact that it is limited to one crop per growing season, is a mono-culture highly susceptible to natural or artificial pathogens, drought, floods and hail and you have what is probably the least desirable energy source of all. What is pushing the Ethanol industry? Corn ethanol subsidies totaled $7.0 billion in 2006 for 4.9 billion gallons of ethanol. That's $1.45 per gallon of ethanol (and $2.21 per gal of gas replaced). There are 17 NEW Ethanol plants being built in Nebraska because of those subsidies. What makes the WHOLE THING A TOTAL DISASTER is that Ethanol is NOT the path or even a bridge to energy independence. It is merely a drain on the Federal treasury driven by greed and corruption"

Remington 11-87 12GA

I bought a Remington 11-87 12GA from Tom Hall. Nice shotgun esp for $350!

Nice link about the 12 gauge:

12 Gauge

SPINE Osteoarthritis - BUMMER

The doc sent a note saying that my x-rays showed arthritis especially between 2 vertabrae. I saw that the gap was quite small compared to the others. This is where the pain comes from.

I'm a little bummed because it seems there might not be much you can do. I'm at an age where you will start to see this, but my specific condition looks worse than a normal wear and tear. :(

This is a good article explaining it.




Osteoarthritis Complete Treatment Guide - Spine-health.com

Osteoarthritis complete treatment guide

Osteoarthritis of the spine
While there is currently no proven treatment to stop or slow the progression of osteoarthritis in the spine, there are treatments to alleviate the pain and other associated symptoms, and for most people the condition will not become debilitating. Some patients with osteoarthritis have minimal or no pain, and may not need treatment. Most people who require treatment will benefit from a combination of lifestyle changes such as exercise, weight reduction, and smoking cessation. Most treatment plans for osteoarthritis focus on controlling the pain and improving the patient’s ability to function. Medication is typically used to reduce the inflammation, which in turn reduces the pain and stiffness. In only the most severe cases will surgery be necessary to treat pain and disability from osteoarthritis. Medical practitioners often refer to osteoarthritis in the spine as spinal arthritis, degenerative joint disease, or arthritis of the facet joints.

Spinal arthritis is relatively common and is most likely to occur in people over age fifty. It represents an ongoing, degenerative process in the spine, and may be associated with a number of other degenerative spinal conditions. In particular, osteoarthritis is associated with degenerative discs in the spine. Degenerative discs and osteoarthritis often occur hand in hand because the disc and facet joints (the joints in the back affected by osteoarthritis) are both part of the same three-joint complex. It is thought that degenerating discs can place undue stress on the facet joints, thus over time leading to degeneration and formation of osteoarthritis in the facet joints (also called zygapophyseal joints). This may be why the two degenerative conditions are so often seen together. If the disc as well as the facet joints become painful as a result of degenerative changes in the spine, the condition is often called spondylosis. However, degenerative disc disease and osteoarthritis are different conditions and can occur separately: one can have degenerative discs without any facet osteoarthritis; or one can have facet osteoarthritis without degenerative discs.


Other anatomical markers of disc degeneration that often occur in conjunction with osteoarthritis—and may or may not cause pain or other symptoms—include:

Synovial cysts. Over time, degeneration of the facet joints in the lower back can result in formation of a fluid-filled sac called a synovial cyst. These cysts are benign in and of themselves, but if they put pressure on the spinal canal they can cause symptoms of spinal stenosis.

Bone spurs (osteophytes). It is thought (though not proven) that over time the combination of disc degeneration and small amounts of instability can cause bone spurs to form. If the bone spurs impinge on the spinal canal, this can cause pain and symptoms from spinal stenosis. It should be noted that bone spurs are simply radiographic markers of degeneration, and are not in and of themselves painful (unless they pinch a nerve root).

Osteoarthritis of the spine is unlike arthritis of the hip, knee and other joints, as the pain, aches, tiredness and stiffness does not come from just the facet joints but often also from the degenerated discs and inhibition of the spinal extensor muscles. No actual swelling of the facet joint has been demonstrated, but degeneration of the facet joint impacts the many anatomical structures surrounding it in the spine and it is thought that there is an inflammatory component to the condition.

The keys to managing pain and stiffness from osteoarthritis (the degenerating motion segments) are to get an accurate diagnosis of what is the underlying cause of the pain and proactively start treatment.

Accurate diagnosis. Most people over the age of 40 will have signs of degeneration in the spine; however, not all of these people will have pain or other symptoms. To correctly treat the patient’s pain, it is critical to first identify the actual underlying cause of the patient’s pain. For example, the patient may have a degenerative disc and bone spurs, but it is the osteoarthritis in the facet joints that is causing the patient’s pain on motion. In this case, it would not be necessary to treat the degenerative disc or bone spurs, but rather just to focus on alleviating the pain originating from the arthritic facet joints.

Proactive treatment. The best proactive treatment to help manage symptoms from osteoarthritis is an active exercise program that emphasizes stretching. Stretching the hip muscles, back joints and hamstrings on a daily basis helps maintain the motion of the spine. Many patients will feel better in an active yoga or pilates program, or other gentle exercise program. Keeping the joints mobile will help them stay healthy.

Spinal arthritis can occur in any part of the spine. This article focuses in particular on osteoarthritis in the low back (lumbar spine), rather than cervical osteoarthritis (arthritis in the neck) or other areas of osteoarthritis.

Weekend

I had one of those really nice and really busy weekends. Weather was perect. Woke up at 6:30 and was golfing at the tourney at Grand Casino with Rod by 8:30. It was cool and bright when we started, beautiful day all day long. Had some beers and a good buzz by the time we headed back in the afternoon.

And then we did a couple hour scope-out of the 3 mile up river from my place. Dropped the canoe in at 65 and floated. We found 4 good spots that we will fish in the spring. Used a jig with crawlers, but didn't catch anything. We weren't trying alot, just checking things out. I had a few bites though.

We rolled in to the 'front yard' landing with no time to spare. Aaron and Sandra were meeting us at our house for a dinner date. Went and got the Aztek and drive back and they were here hanging out. Tamara gave me that look... :) Got ready quick and he headed to Chicos. Had a nice time and then hung at their house to watch the Badgers beat Iowa on Sat night national footnball.

So Sunday the plan was to take the boys to the Renaisaince Festival. Got moving and made the 2 hour drive and Max really thought it was cool. He was a trouper as was Reid. We had a nice day with the high at 85 which was close to record high. The funniest thing that embaressed Max, was where I gave max a quarter to throw into a guys hat that would bang a tin foil pie tin on his head. Told max that he would go 'ding' on his head as he did that for other kids. So Max took the quarter and tried to drop it in the hat and the guy moved it just in time... :) Then max picked it up and tried again and he moved it again. 3 times. Max had a smile and we urged him to try again. So then he put it in there quick and got it in and the guy did the 'ding' on Max's head and then his own. Lots of folks laughed... Max got embarrassed. We told him it was fun. He's gettting better, but still reaaly gets upset when people laugh at him. I'm sure he will NOT be a comedian when he grows up. ;)

'Reid is growing like a weed.'
And lately I call him:
'Reid-O the Torpedo'

-bk loves the wife and kids. life is good. Amen.

I, Cringely . The Pulpit . The Power of Six | PBS

I, Cringely . The Pulpit . The Power of Six | PBS

The thought is that Google will become an ISP. Could happen and its been talked about for a while now. What does that mean for stock?

Hard to say short term, even hard to say long term, but if it did happen similar to this, then I could see GOOG going up a bit, but the potential bigger thing is, ATT and Verizon would go down and Sprint could go up. Sprint already has a few partnetships with Google so you never know.

A good longer term bet might be to buy Sprint now. Maybe short ATT Verizon later.

Mom and Henry

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!Charlston

Tamara the dancing Hottie!

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!JibJab is great.

BWCAW Father Son trip

We had a really nice time. I think Max grew a chest hair during the trip!

He started afraid of the canoe, but got progressively more comfortable as we never hit rocks. He had fun on the portages and camping and hanging out with the boys. I'm glad he liked it. He had some issues with listening, and some crying fits, but in the end he did great.

Weather on day 1 we nice and sunny and warm. We made it to the campsite by 2pm and dedided we would base camp there. Swam and fished a little and hung out by the big rocks and big pines.

Day 2 started at 6am with a patter of rain on tent. We had breakfast and lunch and then from 1PM to 6PM it rained. It was super windy and Steve and I sat under the small evergreens with rain suits for hours and watched the crappy weather. Boys napped in tent, Neil and Tom hung in their tents with their boys.

And overnight it was on and off rain with our tent starting to take on water. Max had his sleeping bag get wet and we figured out it was because it was on a floor seam that sucked up the water. He did fine though and we had it dry the next day.

Day 3 was great. We decided to do a day trip loop. We packed up day packs and fishing stuff and went through lots of lakes and through a low stream with a real beaver dam. Neil and Tom tried to run it... no way that was happening. The weather was on and off T-storms, but we got lucky and didn't get any heavy rain. During a portage [1 of 8 we did] a fast T-storm blew by with load thunder. Max freaked and cried, but it was over as fast as it started. We stopped beneath a rapids to fish and I caught a few nice Smallies. We had to cruise to get back. It ended up being a great trip and got back to camp about 6PM.

We caught some fish, but they all ended up being released, dropping accidentally into the water, or getting eaten? by something so no real fish intake for us. We brought leaches and that turned out to work good. I caught 2 Walleyes, a big Pike, and several Smallies all on a spinner behind a lindy sinker. Go with what you know!

I'm thinking the next trip might be next summer with the family.

BWCAW - 50 Places @ nationalgeographic.com

I always like pointing folks to this link when I say here is where I'm going on vacation. Indeed one of the best places on earth is the BWCAW:

50 Places @ nationalgeographic.com

The Father / Son trip starts a week from today. Getting excited...

American power | Still No.1 | Economist.com

Yet another great article from the Economist.

American power | Still No.1 | Economist.com

Copied the text here:


Wounded, tetchy and less effective than it should be, America is still the power that counts

EVEN the greatest empires hurt when they lose wars. It is not surprising then that Iraq weighs so heavily on the American psyche. Most Americans want to get out as soon as possible, surge or no surge; many more wish they had never invaded the country in the first place. But for a growing number of Americans the superpower's inability to impose its will on Mesopotamia is symptomatic of a deeper malaise.

Nearly six years after September 11th, nervousness about the state of America's “hard power” is growing (see article). Iraq and Afghanistan (another far-off place where the United States, short of troops and allies, may be losing a war) have stretched the Pentagon's resources. An army designed to have 17 brigades on active deployment now has 25 in the field. Despite bringing in reservists and the National Guard, many American troops spend more than half their time on active duty; the British spend a fifth.

Other demons are jangling America's nerves. There is the emergence of China as a rival embryonic superpower, with an economy that may soon be bigger than America's (at least in terms of purchasing power); the re-emergence of a bellicose, gas-fired Russia; North Korea's defiance of Uncle Sam by going nuclear, and Iran's determination to follow suit; Europe's lack of enthusiasm for George Bush's war on terror; the Arabs' dismissal of his democratisation project; the Chávez-led resistance to Yankee capitalism in America's backyard.

Nor is it just a matter of geopolitics. American bankers are worried that other financial centres are gaining at Wall Street's expense. Nativists fret about America's inability to secure its own borders. As for soft power, Abu Ghraib, Guantánamo Bay, America's slowness to tackle climate change and its neglect of the Palestinians have all, rightly or wrongly, cost it dearly. Polls show that ever fewer foreigners trust America, and some even find China's totalitarians less dangerous.

Power to the wrong people
A sense of waning power is not just bad for the self-esteem of Americans. It is already having dangerous consequences. Inside the United States, “China-bashing” has become a defensive strategy for both the left and the right. Isolationism is also on the rise. Most Democrats already favour an America that “minds its own business”.

Outside America, the consequences could be even graver. Iran's Islamic revolutionaries and Russia's Vladimir Putin have both bet in different ways that a bruised Uncle Sam will not be able to constrain them. Meanwhile, a vicious circle of no confidence threatens the Western alliance: if Italy, for instance, concludes that a weakened America will not last the course in Afghanistan, then it will commit even fewer troops to the already undermanned NATO force there—which in turn prompts more Americans to question the project.

Yet America is being underestimated. Friends and enemies have mistaken the short-term failure of the Bush administration for deeper weakness. Neither American hard nor soft power is fading. Rather, they are not being used as well as they could be. The opportunity is greater than the threat.

It is hard to deny that America looks weaker than it did in 2000. But is that really due to a tectonic shift or to the errors of a single administration? Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld reversed the wise Rooseveltian doctrine, “Speak softly and carry a big stick”. After September 11th the White House talked up American power to an extraordinary degree. In that brief period of “shock and awe” when Americans were from Mars, their Venutian allies were lucky to get invited to the show (indeed, in Afghanistan some “old” Europeans were initially turned away). Meanwhile, Mr Bush declared a “war on terror”, rather than just on al-Qaeda, broadening the front to unmanageable dimensions (and paving the way for Guantánamo).

While the talk was loud, the stick was spindly. Defying his generals, Mr Rumsfeld sent too few troops to Iraq to pacify the country. Disbanding the Iraqi army compounded the error. Regardless of whether Iraq was ever winnable, it is hard to imagine any future American administrations making such schoolboy howlers when it comes to regime change.

America the indispensable
Yet in one way Mr Bush is unfairly maligned. Contrary to the Democratic version of history, America did not enjoy untrammelled influence abroad before he arrived. The country that won the cold war also endured several grievous reverses, notably Vietnam (where 58,000 Americans were killed—16 times the figure for Iraq). Iran has been defying America since Jimmy Carter's presidency, and North Korea for a generation before that. As for soft power, France has been complaining about Coca-Cola and Hollywood for nearly a century.

From this perspective of relative rather than absolute supremacy, a superpower's strength lies as much in what it can prevent from happening as in what it can achieve. Even today, America's “negative power” is considerable. Very little of any note can happen without at least its acquiescence. Iran and North Korea can defy the Great Satan, but only America can offer the recognition the proliferating regimes crave. In all sorts of areas—be it the fight against global warming or the quest for an Arab-Israeli peace—America is quite simply indispensable.

That is because America still has the most hard power. Its volunteer army is indeed stretched: it could not fight another small war of choice. But it can still muster 1.5m people under arms and a defence budget almost as big as the whole of the rest of the world's. And it could call on so much more: in relation to the country's size, its defence budget and army are quite small by historical standards. Better diplomacy would enhance its power. One irony of the “war on terror” is that Mr Bush's hyperventilation worked against him in terms of getting boots on the ground: neither his own countrymen nor his allies were sure enough that they were really under threat. (And why should they be? An American-led West spent four decades tussling with a nuclear-armed empire that stretched from Berlin to Vladivostok; al-Qaeda is still small beer.)

The surveys that show America's soft power to be less respected than it used to be also show the continuing universal appeal of its values—especially freedom and openness. Even the immigrants and foreign goods that so worry some Americans are tributes to that appeal (by contrast, the last empire to build a wall on its border, the Soviet one, was trying to keep its subjects in). Nor is it an accident that anti-Americanism has fed off those instances, such as Guantánamo Bay, where America has seemed most un-American. This is the multiplier effect that Mr Bush missed: win the battle for hearts and minds and you do not need as much hard power to get your way.

That lesson is worth bearing in mind when it comes to the challenge of China. China is likely to be more and more in America's face, whether buying American firms, winning Olympic gold or blasting missiles into space. Merely by growing, China is disrupting the politics of the Pacific. But that does not mean that it is automatically on track to overtake America. Its politics are fragile (see article) and America's lead is immense. Moreover, economics is not a zero-sum game: so far, a bigger China has helped to enrich America. An America that stays open to China—an America that sticks to American values—is much more likely to help fashion the China it wants.

If America were a stock, it would be a “buy”: an undervalued market leader, in need of new management. But that points to its last great strength. More than any rival, America corrects itself. Under pressure from voters, Mr Bush has already rediscovered some of the charms of multilateralism; he is talking about climate change; a Middle East peace initiative is possible. Next year's presidential election offers a chance for renewal. Such corrections are not automatic: something (a misadventure in Iran?) may yet compound the misery of Iraq in the same way Watergate followed Vietnam. But America recovered from the 1970s. It will bounce back stronger again.

U.S. Route 61

Interesting web surf:

Ran into a local Mora website with a search engine:

Kanabec County Times Online
http://www.moraminn.com/

They have a Looking Back section. For example:

http://www.moraminn.com/main.asp?SectionID=71&SubSectionID=171&ArticleID=11457&TM=35021.82

Reading a note about something that happend 50 years ago on "Highway 61" piqued my interest.
It doesn't exist anymore in this area and is I-35.

Found a note about the highway here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_61

This talks alot about the northern section and about Dylan's classic Highway 61 Revisted.
Gonna burn that disk now and take a listen.

U.S. Route 61 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Am I a real Minnesotan now? :)

33 Rules to Boost Your Productivity

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2007/05/33-rules-to-boost-your-productivity/

33 Rules to Boost Your Productivity - Volume 2

The chosen president

I copied this from Salon. Nice article. I'll have to listen to G. Keillor more often...


The chosen president
For the Current Occupant, it's enough to believe that he's been ordained by God. What does it matter what anyone else thinks?

By Garrison Keillor

April 25, 2007 | The Republican candidates are slugging it out, talking tough about cracking down on gay Mexican wetback couples who are stealing our guns and leaving us defenseless against big government, decrying the evils of taxation. Meanwhile an ancient Republican dropped by my house on Monday to sun himself on my porch and announce over coffee that he is now an independent. He is disgusted with the Current Occupant over Iraq and much more, including taxation. Unlike the Occupant, he does not think of taxes as a sacrifice but simply the dues you pay as a member of society, and the haves pay more than the have-nots because they have more to lose should anarchy ensue. And he was brought up to believe that more is expected of those to whom much is given.

He said he is not partial to any of his party's candidates in the field, especially not the cross-dressing gumshoe from New York, and while he's intrigued by Sen. Obama, he's not about to pin the D-word on his lapel. After all, he was a Republican for most of his life and as such served faithfully in the state legislature for 20 years. Becoming a Democrat now would be like coloring his hair. At 87, he doesn't have enough to color.

The problem is that his party has become the Calvinist party and he is Episcopalian. In his church, faith and doubt sit side by side: It's fear that we must cast out. But in the Republican Party, fear is the fuel that runs the car.

Calvinism, as all of you Calvinists know, is based on five points of doctrine, which spell out the word "TULIP" -- total depravity (everybody is sinful), unconditional election (God chooses who'll be saved, it's not up to you), limited atonement (Jesus didn't die for everybody, just for the chosen), irresistible grace (if God chooses you, you're saved, you can't resist) and perseverance of the saints (once saved, always saved, no matter what you do).

It's a chilly theology with big winners and losers, nothing like the feel-good thank-you-Jesus-for-making-me-beautiful uplift of the megachurches, and it draws clear lines. Either you are one of the elect or you are in the darkness, grinding your molars. Undoubtedly it's an excellent thing to be chosen from the depraved and to be atoned for exclusively and be able to do dreadfully dumb things, burn down the house, start a war, appoint dopes, with no danger of ever losing your chosenness. (When you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way.) But it's not a good platform for a political party that has to be elected by a majority of the depraved.

Clearly the Current Occupant sees himself as a chosen president, though his theology is simpler than Calvin's: really just four points -- blindness as vocation (if you don't remember it, you're not responsible for it), unquestionable authority (the president is the president is the president), sustenance of faith (God has ordained you and it doesn't matter what anybody else thinks) and heckuva job (never admit a thing, let a smile be your umbrella). If you ran a business on those principles, you'd be in big trouble. Just look at General Motors.

The Calvinists who came to America withstood drought and tornadoes and locusts better than almost anybody else, and they were abstemious, which was good for their health, but they took too much pride in their dogmatism. They were a fractious bunch. When you own the pure truth, you don't care to have to listen to the foolish inconsistencies of the yahoos who sit in the pew ahead of you. While other more tolerant Christians were feeding the hungry and caring for the sick, the Calvinists were debating the finer points of TULIP and taking each other's temperature.

The Ancient stopped at my house on his way home from a reunion of old legislators, Republicans and Democrats, who meet to reminisce about their days at the Capitol back in a more amiable time, when people who disagreed sharply could be, as he says, "hugging buddies." It's hard to imagine this happening years from now, Mr. Hastert and Mrs. Pelosi sitting down to share pleasant memories of days gone by or the Current Occupant dropping in for a few laughs over the Gonzales debacle, but who knows? Meanwhile, the Ancient is in fine fettle, planning his garden, which is tending away from vegetables and toward flowers, plotting his summer trips, and enjoying the occasional coffee with rock-ribbed liberals. A sunny old age is the best revenge of all.

(Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion" can be heard Saturday nights on public radio stations across the country.)

© 2007 by Garrison Keillor. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc

Reid is born

Reid Mathei James Klein was born 04/20/2007 at 9:44am. He made it to 36 weeks and was 6lb 4.5oz and 19 inches long.

It has been quite a ride for us. Several pre-term labor scares, Tamara 4 weeks in hospital 85 minutes away, and now Strep Group B. So far so good though and let me tell you, all of this is so worth it.

Being at the birth was absolutely amazing and the images are etched in my mind forever.

Max is being a great big brother, too. He will no doubt be a great role model.

I love you, Reid, we are just beginning.

Tastes like hell | Salon Life

Interesting article on Minne / Duluth restaraunt.

Tastes like hell | Salon Life

Here is a review:

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=3087&RefID=3141

The Year Without Toilet Paper - New York Times

The Year Without Toilet Paper - New York Times

Bayport Cookery - Fine Dining... Culinary Delights

Found this on City Pages. I searched for the recommended restaraunts outside the metro. This one looks the nicest and is in Bayport just south of Stillwater. There are 7 more listed that are in Stillwater and Forest Lake. Notes on them below.

Bayport Cookery - Fine Dining... Culinary Delights


Bayport Cookery
Restaurants
Visit the Web Site
Another jewel in the crown of St. Croix valley restaurants, this place is a foodie's dream come true. Every night chef/owner Jim Kyndberg--renowned for cooking for the thin and mighty at the Aveda Spa--fills up his restaurant for one 7:00 p.m. seating and showers guests with five courses of edible treasures along a theme. Results have included a Chocolate Lover's Dinner, a Garlic Festival, variations of American regional cuisine, and springtime's legendary Morel Fest. Menus change nightly during the (usually several-weeks-long) run of a given theme and feature a preponderance of food from local farmers. The wine list, however, is global in scope, and there's a full bar. The prix-fixe dinners tend to be a little over $30, and reservations are an utter must--feasts like this are only for those appreciative enough to call first. American Posh. $$$-$$$$, Notable Wine List, Romantic. (Link to this Review)
328 5th Ave N, Bayport; 651.430.1066


Big Apple Bagels
Restaurants
Visit the Web Site
Forgive them their cheesy lingo, and their mini-cheesecake "My Favorite Muffin Muffins" (You mean your favorite muffins, or my favorite muffins?! Break for hilarious laughter, hazelnut coffee, those special moments only best friends share; add more muffins; repeat.) If you can get past that, please note that this chain makes its bagels on site, all day, and the results are quite impressive: garlic-slathered garlic bagels with the lid of crisp chunks that garlic lovers crave, egg bagels as yellow as sunshine, and even chocolate-chip bagels for the little squirmers. Coffee and Confections. $, Breakfast / Brunch, Kid Friendly, Vegetarian Spoken Here. (Link to this Review)
508 S. Lake St, Forest Lake; 651.464.4997


Brookside Bar & Grill
Marine on St. Croix is a town on the St. Croix River, which is to picture-postcard scenes what Las Vegas is to sins, or what New York is to dreams. Every tulip, every finial, every sparrow in Marine seems to cock its head to you and say: If you only had your camera, buddy, you and me could make a beautiful fundraising calendar here. This is not the only reason to come here. The main tavern in town, the Brookside, makes some of the best burgers in the state. Homemade cheese curds, darn good chili, imported German beers on tap, and the chance to wander off after dinner and gaze at the St Croix from a picture-postcard perfect viewing platform round out the experience. Just don't forget to pack your camera. American Casual. $, Kid Friendly. (Link to this Review)
140 Judd, Marine-on-St. Croix; 651.433.5132


Cesare's Wine Bar
Restaurants
Full Article
12/10/03
The most ambitious and accomplished wine-bar between Chicago and Seattle, Cesaré's makes up for in wine what it lacks in location. Why do you have to be way the heck out in Stillwater, dear? Oh well. Imagine any kind of alliterative wine phrase and Cesaré’s is likely to have a wine to match it. American Albariños? Sure. Budget Barbera blends? Natch. Chocolatey and concentrated Chilean Carmenere? Why bother asking? Of course they have that. Spectacular stemware, sweet service, and artisanal snacks with a slow-food accent and a very simple, very little bit of chef-driven cuisine round out the Cesaré’s experience. American Casual. $$$, Great Bar, Notable Wine List, Outdoor Seating, Romantic, Vegetarian Spoken Here. (Link to this Review)
102 S 2nd St, Stillwater; 651.439.1352


Famous Dave's BBQ
Restaurants
Visit the Web Site
From the noise of the "El" train rumbling overhead to the Disneyish, chic-shack décor, there's a lot for barbecue snobs to get their panties up in a bunch about at Famous Dave's. (Don't get us started about all those feel-good business stories that make it sound like it's a civic duty to support this place.) Still, it must be admitted that this home-grown monster chain has a good heart--live music at some locations, decent prices, a friendly bar, a cheap kid's menu. Plus, it's one of the better places to dine with a big group or with tots. As far as the barbecue, the chopped pork is the best stuff on the menu, and if you get it with the ham-a-rific "Wilbur" beans and coleslaw, you're eating well by snob or nonsnob standards. All the other favorites are also in attendance--ribs, chicken, burgers, brisket--and you should see the fireworks that arrive in the happy-birthday brownie. Lunch, dinner, Sunday brunch. American Casual. $-$$, Barbecue, Kid Friendly. (Link to this Review)
43 19th St SW, Forest Lake; 651.464.4400
14200 60th St N, Stillwater; 651.439.5200


Marx Wine Bar & Grill
Restaurants
Full Article
7/17/02

Marx Wine Bar & Grill is a jewel-bright cheapie of a can-do, super-friendly bistro in the middle of Stillwater's main drag. Chef and owner Mark Hansen does a great job with aggressively flavored twists on Italian-American classics: He makes his own pasta, mozzarella, and one of the simplest and best marinara sauces around. Frankly, with all the intense, big-value, high-energy food and good, inexpensive wine, the place seems more like it fits into the big picture of New York Italian diaspora (Florida, Long Island) than Stillwater antiques-village, but hey, who's complaining? American Casual. $$, Great Bar, Notable Wine List, Pizza, Vegetarian Spoken Here. (Link to this Review)
241 S Main St S, Stillwater; 651.439.8333

Mora, Minnesota (55051) Conditions & Forecast : Weather Underground

Storm 1 total was 14 - 16.5 depending on how close to Mora. Several measurements were taken.

Storm 2 as of 03/02/2007 8am:
"14.80 Mora MN Kanabec 0823 am"

It also snowed lightly today after that total was taken. Maybe 1 or 2 inches more.

And in between the storms, we got an inch.

So 6 days and... 33 or so inches!


Fun in the snow now! Yippe.

And then there was winter

Until recently, its been a dry winter... Unusually low snow amounts which had folks worried about exacerbating the MN Northwoods drought. So I was excited to hear about the storm last weekend.

I noted ahead of the last storm that we were maybe going to get 14-17 and bingo.
Indeed we got 16.5" total in Mora. It was about the most in the state other than the freakish amount of snow in the far SouthEast where they got 30".

And right away weather folks were talking about the potential for another storm 4-5 days later. I had a dream before the first storm that we would get 30" of snow total... and that dream seem likely at this point.

2 days ago, Monday, after the cleanup of the first storm, they were talking 2-4 inches midweek. Then it was maybe 5-6. By Tuesday night, they were saying maybe a foot. So today, it is likely to be 12-20 especially north of the Cities. Maybe more in Duluth/North Shore. Wow.

So far, Max and I have had tons of fun in the snow, we made a snow fort on the river with a tunnel and a mini snow man. We did a little sledding at the bottom of our hill, too. It was great to shovel through and drop 'the steps' to the river. It was pretty surreal, the amount of snow we just got.

And now, top another foot+ on it, whoa. My snowbanks are already too high in some places in the driveway to even blow snow any higher. Fun!

I'll post again after the storm for total snowfall amount.

Here's a snip from the lastest WX alert. Yikes, here we go again:

Another major winter storm will impact much of the upper Midwest
beginning today and lasting into Friday. This winter storm will be
just as potent as the one this past weekend... and potentially be
even more dangerous because of accompanying strong winds and its
impact on the area during the weekdays. Persons planning travel need
to be prepared for this heavy snow and the increasing winds... and
consider canceling traveling plans during times when blizzard
conditions are appearing more likely... namely on Thursday and
Thursday night.

During Thursday drastically deteriorating conditions are expected by
mid to late morning across much of the area. Frequently heavy snow
and northeasterly winds will combine to make near blizzard
conditions in places through the afternoon and into Thursday
evening. Blizzard conditions with near zero visibility are
appearing more likely especially in rural areas. The snow will
begin to weaken in intensity late Thursday night into early Friday
morning... however accumulations will continue in places and the
stiff winds will be slow to subside leading to blowing and
drifting snow creating treacherous travel conditions in many places
on Friday. Final snow accumulations of a foot to twenty inches are
expected in many areas.

Winter Storm Watch!

Yeah! Here we go. They were predicting this for almost a week now with potential to be huge. It looks like it will be. The Cities last had a storm this big in 1999 with 16 inches, so folks are calling this the 'storm of the century' seven years in.

It looks like where we live will get the most of this whole system. 15 to 18 is prediction for us in the "SAINT CROIX RIVER VALLEY". I'll publish the real total on Monday. After skiing! :)

Bring it!

"STORM TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD RANGE FROM 9 TO 12 INCHES IN MOST LOCATIONS...WITH AS MUCH AS 15 TO 18 INCHES POSSIBLE ALONG THE INTERSTATE 35 CORRIDOR AND THE SAINT CROIX RIVER VALLEY."

The World Question Center 2007

Finished reading the Edge 2007 today. Very interesting.

The World Question Center 2007

Great weekend

Tam was working this weekend... that's not why it was great.

Grandpa Tom and grandma Judy got here by Friday dinner time. We had a nice time with them hanging out by the fireplace and chatting. Max was real excited to see them. He stayed awake until 9 and I got him to bed just before Tam got home. whew.

Dad and I went on some errands and then cut down some dying oaks and cut up them and some left overs from the tree pruning. It was great to get help. Judy and Max made some valentines for all the kids. Then we hung out by the fireplace again and played some cards later. I turned them on to 'An Inconvenient Truth'. Dad said he liked it. Todd is the one that gave me it for Christmas... nice. Dad also made a comment about how he really liked the house and the knotty pine ceiling in the big room. He's said that before. Yeah, it is pretty nice. He is thinking he wants to hang here for a week at a time once he retires. That would be cool.

So Sunday am, dad and Judy left after breakfast. And it finally was forecast to be 'warm'. Last 2 weeks have been below zero every night with lowest low of -26. Sunday got to 24 degrees in bright sun! It was very nice. Max and I walked up the river [which has frozen over almost everywhere this year due to low current] and checked out the neighborhood from a different perspective. I've been on the river when everything is greeen, but you can see a lot more now. We walked up the river to the bend and then walked one of the animal trails. Tons of tracks. A super-highway. Max was saying he was a little scared because I told him about all the animal tracks. Of course, they are "more scared of you" so no worries. We walked back and sat on the shore in the dry long grass in the sun. Beautiful. I told Max that this was feeling awesome and that I love him. We hung there for a few minutes and then Max wanted to walk back. I reluctantly agreed. Then we played on the ridge knocking down some small brush with Max sliding down the snow trying to climb the down brush and logged pine. He was having such a great time. To be 4 1/2 half again.... :)

Tam got home and since she had the skates in my car that she took to work, Max and I knew we could skate for a hour before sunset. A nice large section of the river right in front of the house is smooth as a fresh zamboni track. Max skated for the first time with my cut down hockey stick and the infamous tape ball. I got some good video. It's great to have that river. I don't ever want to leave here!

Aside:
Tam has talked about not totally liking her job. No details will be noted here. She has a fantasy of working in Denver at the BOP training center. I'd love the skiing there, but I just can't think now about parting from this place. It's just too nice.

Unhappy Meals - Michael Pollan - New York Times

A good read about the history of nutrition. At least we are now making laws against things like the dreaded trans-fat. A good start.

Unhappy Meals - Michael Pollan - New York Times

"
...
The committee learned that while rates of coronary heart disease had soared in America since World War II, other cultures that consumed traditional diets based largely on plants had strikingly low rates of chronic disease. Epidemiologists also had observed that in America during the war years, when meat and dairy products were strictly rationed, the rate of heart disease temporarily plummeted.
Naïvely putting two and two together, the committee drafted a straightforward set of dietary guidelines calling on Americans to cut down on red meat and dairy products. Within weeks a firestorm, emanating from the red-meat and dairy industries, engulfed the committee, and Senator McGovern (who had a great many cattle ranchers among his South Dakota constituents) was forced to beat a retreat. The committee’s recommendations were hastily rewritten. Plain talk about food — the committee had advised Americans to actually “reduce consumption of meat” — was replaced by artful compromise: “Choose meats, poultry and fish that will reduce saturated-fat intake.”
A subtle change in emphasis, you might say, but a world of difference just the same. First, the stark message to “eat less” of a particular food has been deep-sixed; don’t look for it ever again in any official U.S. dietary pronouncement. Second, notice how distinctions between entities as different as fish and beef and chicken have collapsed; those three venerable foods, each representing an entirely different taxonomic class, are now lumped together as delivery systems for a single nutrient. Notice too how the new language exonerates the foods themselves; now the culprit is an obscure, invisible, tasteless — and politically unconnected — substance that may or may not lurk in them called “saturated fat.”
"

Semen makes women happy: Study

:)

Semen makes women happy: Study