Girl Friday

Happy Almost 4th

I was kinda miserable this week. The weather sucked, I'm losing my tan, nothing sounded like fun and I was bored with both work and domestic duties (save for one really great cooking day in which I almost lost an eyeball-- more on that next time).

But now? It's warm outside, weather.com says it's not gonna rain and I have no obligations. First stop: Richfield Target, where Aaron has spotted copious amounts of Mountain Dew Throwback. Second stop: Who knows? Hopefully something that allows me to get some color back in my skin.

What are you doing tomorrow night? Don't miss the Soap Factory's Ten Second Film Festival after the fireworks at St. Anthony Main. I'm guest-judging this year, along with The Current's Barb Abney, actor/director Randy Reyes and someone named Mrs. Smith (there might be drag, I'm not sure, all I know is that it's a man pretending to be a woman). The current vita.mn cover is a good read on the Ten Second Film Festival and how it all goes down.

More Mountain Dew Throwback?

The Twin Cities have officially reached a crisis level of Mountain Dew Throwback. I can't find the stuff anywhere as of this week. If you're out and about and you spot a 12-pack, let me know (or use @amck and #throwback on Twitter and I'll come running).

WTF Homophobia

I enjoyed the Pride festival this weekend, as always, but I feel like I encountered more homophobia this year than any other in recent memory.

Friday night, two of my gay friends got kicked out of a Gopher State Airport Taxi by the homophobic driver (who picked them up at Jetset, mind you). Saturday afternoon, I watched from Lurcat as police cuffed and arrested the born-agains sporting "FREE BIBLES" tee shirts for trespassing on park grounds. This morning, someone sent me the link to a video in which a gay man is harassed by a group of kids as he walks home from the festival. I don't care to watch it, but the comments indicate that they walk past three security officers (not from the Minneapolis Police Department) who do nothing.

I realize things could be a lot worse here, in the city that boasts the third largest Pride festival in the country, but it still shocks me that people are so ignorant and malicious.

Meanwhile, an Athiest who writes a sex column dares to disprove the wingnut argument that homosexuality goes against the word of God. I haven't heard one peep of negative feedback yet, which further proves my theory that vita.mn (and Girl Friday) readers are of above average intelligence.

Kate Nelson, Me, Erik Janzen (Photo by Dan Phan)
Unity Basketball's First Annual Pride 3-on-3 Tournament

Our 48 Hour Film

Team Red Card Production didn't score many points with the judges at this year's Minneapolis 48 Hour Film Project (unlike last year when we totally slayed 'em) but we're very proud of our 48-hour film, "Greener on the Other Side?", a pro-feminist open commentary on the concept of wanting a life not your own.

So why did we do so well with the judging panel last year versus this year?

Erik Janzen, our talented team captain, director and editor extraordinaire said it best: "I think the trick to 'winning' these is how creatively we incorporated the 3 random elements. In 'Shades of Orange' the HUGE revealing moment was based around the line of dialogue... in fact, the whole movie was an explanation of that post it note. And the character (substitute teacher) was the element in the story that Changed EVERYTHING."

We'll get 'em again next year. Congratulations to this year's finalists and winners!

How it works: On Friday at 7:00pm, each team draws a genre, a character, a prop and a line of dialogue. Teams then have exactly 48 hours to write, shoot, edit and submit their film, which can be no longer than 7 minutes.

Our genre: Film de Femme
Character: Kathleen or Kevin Schnabel, Expert
Prop: A sandwich
Line of Dialogue: "I hope they decide soon."

Me, Erik Borg, Tim Davis, Kate Nelson, Erik Janzen

Good News

The Star Tribune made me smile today, twice:

Minneapolis to pay bar $201,000 to settle lawsuit

Part 1: COOP DREAMS

The first story, which you may not have been following if you're not a Northeaster, reports the culmination of a nearly two-year battle between Gabby's Saloon & Eatery and the City of Minneapolis. The City has been trying to strongarm Gabby's into shutting down, using shady tactics and imposing restrictions on the restaurant when, in fact, the restaurant has done nothing wrong. The headline is a bit misleading, though; the City has to cover all of Gabby's legal fees ($175,000) since the beginning of this mess, as well as pay back a $25,000 penalty it levied on the restaurant, with $1,000 interest.

Gabby's decided to drop their additional civil rights lawsuit which, to me, says that they decided to take the high road. That, or they had no tangible proof that the City was trying to shut Gabby's down because of the patrons. (After dark, Gabby's turns into a predominantly black, hip hop nightclub). It probably sucks living across the street from a nightclub, but that's both the beauty and the hazard of living in Northeast. There's a bar on nearly every corner, and you just have to put up with the bar-close noise. Plus, Gabby's has been there a long time. Probably longer than many of the folks who live there now.

"COOPS DREAMS" is first in a series in the Home + Garden section of the paper. It profiles a couple of urban chicken keepers, namely their pleasure (fresh eggs) and pain in the ass (dick neighbors) of keeping chickens in the city. I'm not interested in getting chickens where I live -- my landlord might say I'm already pushing it with the giant compost container in the back yard -- but I was happy because one part of the article encourages people to adopt chickens from Chicken Run Rescue as opposed to commercial hatcheries, the fowl equivalent of puppy mills. Many of  Chicken Run's hens and roosters are rescued from illegal and extremely inhumane cock fighting operations, so you're really giving them a second chance at life. Not only do they give you their eggs in return, but you also reap the benefits of an expedited compost heap, which the chickens love to scavenge, and some excellent garden fertilizer.

The FTC is gonna be watching you.

This is kind of ridiculous, isn't it? Via my dad:

FTC Plans to Monitor Blogs for Claims, Payments

The Federal Trade Commission is expected to release new guidelines this summer that "would clarify that the agency can go after bloggers — as well as the companies that compensate them — for any false claims or failure to disclose conflicts of interest."

This part is particularly alarming:

"If the guidelines are approved, bloggers would have to back up claims and disclose if they're being compensated — the FTC doesn't currently plan to specify how. The FTC could order violators to stop and pay restitution to customers, and it could ask the Justice Department to sue for civil penalties.

Any type of blog could be scrutinized, not just ones that specialize in reviews.

So parents keeping blogs to update family members on their child's first steps technically would fall under the FTC guidelines, though they likely would have little to worry about unless they accept payments or free products and write about them. But they would need to think twice if, for instance, they praise parenting books they've just read and include links to buy them at a retailer like Amazon.com Inc.

That's because the guidelines also would cover the broader and common practice of affiliate marketing, in which bloggers and other sites get a commission when someone clicks on a link that leads to a purchase at a retailer. In such cases, merchants also would be responsible for actions by their sales agents — including a network of bloggers.

Well, we're not going to take this lying down, are we?

Some bloggers believe more uniform disclosure and practices would help instill trust and make advertisers more comfortable working with bloggers. To them, the question becomes whether the FTC should be the one crafting standards.

"It would always be better for bloggers to self-police," said Robert Cox, president of Media Bloggers Association in New Rochelle, N.Y. "We have laws on the books. They apply to everybody, not just people who write blogs."

I'd say that the FTC might not be able to grasp the now vast concept of what, exactly, a blog is nowadays. This is a blog -- and one that provides the service of product, store and restaurant reviews, not to mention deals on or at said items, solely for the benefit of its readers -- but what about my Twitter account? My vita.mn contributions? My sex column even mentions helpful products and websites on occasion. I'm sure the MBA is already planning on doing it, but I'd also make the argument that virtually everyone blogs now. So all of those people that link to, say, a great pair of jeans that finally fit them perfectly will end up having to attach a disclaimer to their blogs somewhere? That's like requiring dudes who wear Ed Hardy tee shirts to walk around and tell every person at the club that they did not receive compensation for sporting the company's name and logo.

Locally, Punch Pizza is notorious for using Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and their own blog to reward customers by offering printable coupons and spreading the word. Once the new guidelines are in place, does Punch have to use a disclaimer, and everyone who retweets on Twitter or shares the offer with their blog readers, and then everyone who mentions that they went to Punch, and then me because I used this example? Seems silly and, above all, really unnecessary.

I've never allowed banner, sidebar or Google ads on this blog; it's got as much to do with integrity as it does with not wanting to bother my readers with a bunch of flashing crap or suggestions for products that I don't personally endorse. I also turn down freebies all the time-- just in the last 2 weeks, I've passed on tea from Tea Source and store credit from Buffalo Exchange. But that's not to say I don't take advantage of occasional freebies, either. Proprietors and managers of restaurants frequently knock a drink or three off my bill, but that's just good business when you're opening up a new place. When I'm impressed by a restaurant, I'll say great things about it, regardless of whether or not I paid for all my drinks or food. I mean, duh, that's the whole point here.

(Disclaimer: Nintendo just sent me a free DSi, but I only agreed to be one of their "brand enthusiasts" after it was made perfectly clear that I am under no obligation to write about their products here unless I really feel the need to. I kind of feel the need to tell you to try playing Rhythm Heaven, which both The Mexican and I find to be incredibly addicting.)

Random Friday Stuff

- Wow, the Minnesota Department of Revenue sure cashes a check with a quickness. I think the ink was still wet on the check for $259 they practically stole from me when it came back through my bank last week. Jerks.

- Spotted in this week's Northeaster: a coupon for 15% off at El Taco Riendo, "tacos excluded."

- If you live in Minneapolis and you love shoes, you already know that Heavenly Soles is closing. As of this week, all store merchandise is 35% off, and cards and stationery are 50% off. I stopped in a couple days ago and got a new summer handbag, a beaded necklace, 3 stickers and a greeting card for $42.

P.S., I hate that this store is closing. Before I headed over there, I stood in front of my closet and counted six pairs of shoes and 2 (well now 3) handbags that I've bought there in the past 3 years. There's no telling how much I've bought since I started going there; gifts, socks, wallets, shoes that I no longer have. Actually, my T.U.K. black kitty sneakers are from Heavenly Soles, and I've been rocking those since 2002.

- After posting about my experiences at Everyday People and Buffalo Exchange, I received an email from the manager of the latter. She was actually the employee that conducted my transaction, acknowledged the poor customer service provided and apologized for making such a bad impression. I don't know that I'll be headed back to Buffalo Exchange in the near future, but her response did postively alter my impression of the store.

Getting Cash for Your Clothes

Now that the freak cold snap is over, I finally switched out my wardrobe, putting all my winter stuff in storage containers and busting out the summer clothes. As usual, I had a small pile that I knew I wouldn't wear anymore. This time, instead of donating them to Animal Ark, I decided to sell them. I'll never stop donating good stuff to animal charities, but I was curious to know which of the used clothing shops in town would pay the most for my trendier duds. (A few of which, I should note, came from my sister.)

The clothes, most of which were in new, unworn condition:

White tank with lace (Rubbish); 2 crocheted hair wraps in navy and dusty rose (Echo Design); white/black cotton button-down tunic with ties (not sure of brand, 95% chance my sister got it at Nordstrom); faux-leather patent camel handbag (Poppie Jones).

White cotton cargo capris (DKNY); cotton-Lycra light denim jacket (Rubbish); yellow modal tee with ruffle (Banana Republic); Western-style straw hat (Bitten); cotton-Lycra gray/black miniskirt (Lux/Urban Outfitters).

I tossed all my stuff in a bag and brought it to a few stores. In chronological order on the same day:

Plato's Closet in Roseville specializes in juniors' brands like Abercrombie & Fitch, Bebe, Lucky and Roxy. Being 31, I no longer wear a lot of these brands, but I figured it was worth a shot. This is the only place where I had previous experience selling clothes; I brought a few things in several years ago and recalled the experience to be pretty quick and painless. Times may have changed a little bit. The woman at the counter took her sweet time acknowledging that I was standing four feet away from her and then told me it would be a 40-minute wait to check out my clothes. I didn't feel like hanging around Har Mar Mall for that long, much less the shoebox that is Plato's Closet, so I left without getting a quote. (I have no patience, sue me.)

Since I didn't hang around Plato's Closet, I didn't find out exactly how they pay for clothes. I'm assuming it's the same as the other two stores: First, they calculate what they will sell the merchandise for. Then they offer you 50% of that total in store credit, or 30% of that total in cash.

Buffalo Exchange in Uptown buys and sells more trendy clothing and accessories than the other two stores. Before I committed to the sale, I informed the employee that I'd also be shopping my wares at Everyday People, which prompted sudden snottiness. She quoted me at $19.95 cash option but warned that, if she wasn't the person at the counter when I came back, that offer could go down. Only having sold clothes once before, I'd never really thought about it, but I suppose that's the nature of the beast; the quotes will inevitably be somewhat arbitrary. Also, she didn't know what Von Maur was when I answered her question about where one of my items was purchased. I found that to be a little odd for someone who's supposed to know fashion. Buffalo Exchange passed on the white DKNY capris, the crocheted Echo hair wraps and the denim Rubbish jacket, so the $19.95 quote excludes those items.

Everyday People in Uptown stocks about 40% vintage clothing, or at least that's my best guess having stopped in there numerous times. There was a friendly staff of two working when I walked in, and they were quick to sort through my bag of goodies and come up with a quote of $10.25 cash option. Interestingly, they also passed on the same items: the capris, hair wraps and denim jacket. Now, had the margin been smaller between Buffalo Exchange's quote and Everyday People's quote, I would've just sold my clothes to Everyday People and called it a day. But we're talking about an almost $10 difference.

That's a Sawanoi during happy hour at Azia.

Naturally, I returned to Buffalo Exchange to get my $19.95. Now, I'm not one to really bitch about bad customer service, but if an experience is exceptionally bad, I feel the need to mention it. The employee that checked out my clothes was still there (this was only like 20 minutes later) and she copped even more of an attitude when I returned. I won't quote the whole conversation, but suffice to say there was a way to make me understand the rules -- you must wait your turn (there were now 3 people ahead of me), you cannot shop while you wait (the other two stores encourage it), you cannot go outside while you wait, you cannot move more than 5 feet from the counter while you wait, you must keep your bag(s) with you at all times while you wait -- without being a snot about it. In fact, I would happily return to Buffalo Exchange to both sell clothes and shop, had my experience with the employee there been better.

But it wasn't, so I won't. I took my $19.95 cash option and headed to Azia. I'll most likely just continue donating my clothes in the future but, if I decide to sell again, I'll probably go to Everyday People. Interesting, too, that the price difference was relatively big for six items. I guess I've never noticed Buffalo Exchange being so much more expensive than Everyday People.

My Minneapolis.org Insider Guide

I've joined ranks with esteemed local celebrities like Andrew Zimmern and Mayor R.T. Rybak and created an Insider Guide for Minneapolis.org.

Check out my guide here.

I really need a new self-portrait.

Hodge Podge Monday

- Tea Source is offering a happy hour on all hot pots of tea, Fridays from 6:00pm-close: $3.25 for a small pot and $5.25 for a large pot. This includes rare teas, so it's a great opportunity to sample some more expensive teas at low price. Tea Source also has free wifi and, just looking over the website, I noticed something cool: they do in-home tea classes. The price is very reasonable ($25) and they bring all the tea and supplies. Classes are informal and last 60-90 minutes. It would be a unique and low-cost idea for something like a bridal shower, or just to have an afternoon tea party for the heck of it.

- How's your flip cup game? If you think you still got it, you should consider signing up a team for Flip Cups for D-Cups on June 20th at Brothers Bar & Grill. Proceeds from the event benefit the Breast Cancer 3-Day and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Sign up your team ($100 advance, $150 door) or pay $10 to spectate and enjoy the event's food and drink specials. Honors will be given to the team with the most inventive name, the most outrageous costumes and, of course, the flip cup tournament winner.

- The Butcher Block is soon to be open in the former Fugaise space on East Hennepin. Full operations should be underway June 16th. No menu posted but Heavy Table reports that there will be 30 different kinds of wings. They'll also be open late-night, every night.

Over here in Northeast proper, we anxiously await the July opening of The Anchor Fish and Chips. Rumor (unconfirmed) is that they were supposed to be late-night, but ran into some zoning issues. No indication of hours on the website, but some interesting bios of the Irish ex-pat proprietors.

I've been enjoying social hour at the Northeast Social, when all bottles of wine are half price from 4:00-5:30pm Monday-Saturday. Stop by and check it out if you haven't already; the Social is a fun place and I see no fewer than 6 people I know every time I go there.