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Twitter with a Purpose
Sorry about the photoblog this week, everyone, but I've been busier than a beaver building a dam on a lake made of coffee. (Speaking of which, I had a Soy Mocha Ice Storm at the Nordstrom eBar this weekend and it was awesome.)
I had a couple of writing deadlines this week, but more newsworthy is that I started a new job. Well, actually, longtime readers of Girl Friday will be happy to hear that I actually took back an old job: the visual merchandising gig I dropped almost two years ago. This is the job that sent me to at least four Twin Cities area malls every week, thereby allowing me to report regularly on all sorts of deals at retail stores. They made me an offer I couldn't refuse (better hourly wage and fewer stores to visit), plus I really did miss working with fashion trends.
Anyway, in addition to having more shopping related content here again, I'm thinking about also using my Twitter account for the purpose of informing followers about something other than what I'm having for dinner. In the vein of Jahna Peloquin's Style updates via 80108 texts, but more immediate and thrift-oriented.
When I was doing this job before, constantly spotting the best sales at virtually every retail spot, I always used to wish I had an instant way to inform my blog readers about them. But this was back when Twitter didn't exist. Now that it does, I think it's the perfect way for me to use the application.
Once I figure out how to put my Twitter badge on this blog, we'll really be in business.
Alexis on the Sexes Ad Sightings
Alexis on the Sexes ad sightings to date:
Billboards:
4th & 15th, above the Dinkytown Caribou, kitty-corner from McDonald's
Bus Shelters:
28th & Hennepin, on the west side by the YWCA
Lyndale & Franklin, in front of the Red Dragon
Men's Bathrooms:
Bullwinkle's
Runyon's
Liquor Lyle's
Women's Bathrooms:
(I do have a handful of photos from Geek Prom, but I'm working on a vita.mn story right now with Tom Horgen and he's a slave driver and I can't do anything else until our article is done.)
F the DVS
Who hates going to the Department of Vehicle Services, can I get a show of hands? Okay, so that's everyone. I had to hit up not one but two DVS stations today due to a slight miscommunication via phone regarding where to pay a specific kind of ticket, which resulted in me standing in line for a total of 1.5 hours today.
See, I got a call last week from a guy living in Florida who hasn't lived in Minnesota for 17 years. He had just been informed that his Florida license was no longer valid because the state had just been informed that his Minnesota license was revoked. It was for a 17-year-old parking ticket he forgot to pay before moving to Florida. The ticket was so old that Minnesota had since erased it from his record, but the reinstatement fee had to be paid or else he couldn't renew his Florida license. So how much is a 17-year-old license reinstatement fee, you ask? $680.00. (Ouch.) He was pretty good-humored about it, but what can you do? The government (especially the Department of Vehicle Services) is never wrong.
He sounded relieved when I told him that I could run to the DVS for him, no problem. Of course, things are seldom "no problem" at the DVS, aren't they? First I'm directed to the wrong place, then the cashiers check was made out to the wrong name, then I didn't have the right documentation, then I had too much. I got the job done in the end, but seriously: why the hell is everything there so difficult? And why on God's green earth is it all still done by hand? Surely we've advanced far enough technologically to eliminate the need for moderate pressure with a ballpoint pen and three carbon copies of everything.
I suppose the moral here is "pay your parking tickets", but by the time I finished the errand I was trying to figure out how hard it would be to organize a movement against the DVS. ¡Libertad!
2006: Consistency is the Key
Much like last year, I'm weighing in at the last minute for my highs and lows of 2006. Mostly highs, of course, but I'm told I'm an optimistic cynic:
Best Hair Product: CHI Silk Infusion. A very recent discovery, this stuff is magic in a bottle. A smoother and shiner that leaves my unruly, textured hair incredibly soft (even softer than when Sarah flatirons it; perhaps I should bring her a bottle). Bonus: it smells awesome.
Best Cosmetic Product: Dior Show Mascara. The best mascara I've ever used, this one does everything it should and more in the lengthening, thickening, and non-clumping departments.
Dumbest Cosmetic Venture: Thinking I had the patience for any of the Bare Escentuals products. Swirl, tap, f*ck that. It gets all over the place and application takes way too long from start to finish. And should I really be buying something that's regularly featured on QVC, anyway?
My Can't-live-without Clothing Item of 2006: L.A. Made tee shirts. I can barely get dressed without slipping into one of these long-sleeved, super soft, skinny tees first. I've got two crew necks in rotation and will be adding a low v-neck to the mix shortly.
Worst Fashion Trend: Formal shorts/onesies (tie). You people look ridiculous.
Best Bar and Restaurant Experience (because, in this case, they deserve to get categorized together): Town Talk Diner. The total package. Just shut up and go there.
Least Notable Restaurant Opening: Wasabi. Coined "Japanese Applebee's" by yours truly, this place has confusing log cabin decor, plastic plants everywhere, and even serves drinks in plastic cups. Topping off a below mediocre experience is entry level service staff that can't tell the difference between udon and soba.
Biggest Blow to Local Dining: The closing of Restaurant Levain tonight. The staff found out Friday that tonight would be the last night of business. What the hell happened?
Biggest Tragedy in Local Radio: Thorn leaving The Current. My favorite Thorn moment was right after he'd played the most incredible set that had me near euphoria freakout stage in the car. I sent him an email from the BlackBerry that minute, telling him that he's the absolute best DJ on the planet. His response? "That's so nice that they let you have a BlackBerry in the asylum."
Weirdest Day: December 31st. 38 degrees and raining at 11:00am, 28 degrees and four inches of snow by 3:00 in the afternoon. Normally I'd be happy as a clam for such unseasonably warm weather, but I just saw An Inconvenient Truth (which I'll go ahead and say was the Best Movie of 2006) and now all I can think about are polar bears drowning to death. Makes it kinda hard to enjoy a warm and sunny day.
Personal High of 2006: Bagging Brannon Braga/being interviewed by Mpls St Paul Magazine (tie). Check the issue on newsstands right now, page 46. I've been appropriately chastised by Andrew for not doing more self-promotion lately, so please don't yell at me for not letting you know about it sooner. (And I'm sorry for bringing up my romantic history, because I don't believe in discussing that here on Girl Friday, but come on, the guy's a sci-fi god and I've idolized him for years. It's a very high point in my life.)
2006 was a rockin' year for me! I accomplished a lot of goals in what I feel was a short time. In fact, I wish the year wasn't quite over yet because it's been such a blast. Thanks for hanging in there with me, especially during the weeks when I'm a little too overloaded to blog about anything even remotely interesting.
Big Thursday
Whew, lots of stuff to mention today.
First off, if you weren't awake and listening to MPR's Morning Edition at 7:45 today (or haven't already heard the mp3 replay on the website), please take 13 minutes to listen to these great pieces on Chasing Windmills and MNStories:
- "Chasing Windmills" is Pretty Hard Work
- Chuck Olsen on MNStories and MNArtists
Next up, the first issue of Vita.mn's print edition drops today, coinciding (not coincidentally) with the site's launch party at the Fine Line tonight. Check out the feature article on getting picked up at bars, written by Yours Truly. And somewhere in there will be a weekly sex and dating advice column, also by moi.
The Vita.mn racks are all around town. I'm told that, as of this afternoon, you should be able to pick one up just about anywhere you'd grab a City Pages.
Finally, don't forget to tune into Chowhounds this Saturday from 10:00am to noon on 100.3 FM. I'll be on the show discussing the grueling task of collecting data for the aforementioned article, revealing my secret ingredients for the best deviled eggs anyone has ever had, and spilling everything I know about Temple.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to assemble a sassy outfit for tonight.
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Weekend at the Fair
Two days in a row at the Fair and I am exhausted.
Yesterday, I sat in the booth with Andrew and Jen for the second hour of Chowhounds. In between commenting on interesting clothing choices of fairgoers and trash talking some of the new food items this year, I was able to enlighten the audience with some fun facts about sheep. Did you know they don't have upper teeth? Well, now you do.
Today, I met up with my family at the Fair. Having a four-year-old nephew means getting to do fun things like driving go-carts and getting soaked on the river raft ride. Taylor caught up with us in the afternoon, and he and I went head-to-head in a heated skeeball match. One of us walked away with a giant stuffed dalmation. (Hint: it wasn't Taylor.) No Fair Hair this year, but I did get to watch my sister accidentally dump an entire beer on a stranger. So that was fun.
I'm finally getting back into my groove after feeling slightly burned out from all the Sound Unseen stuff. I volunteered my concierge services to the festival this year by entertaining director Gregg Gibbs while he was in town for the screenings of his film, The Treasures of Long Gone John. Gregg absolutely loved Minneapolis, so thank you to everyone who came out and made him feel welcome.
For those of you that didn't get to see the film, hang tight until next year when it's in wide release. It's fun, full of great music, and very informative for those of us who previously had no idea what in the hell all those things are at Robot Love.
Wasn't Me
To all the ladies out there looking for a nice, working-class man: seek a mason. I met with three stonework contractors today for bids on a client's patio, and my, my, my. Each one was cuter than the last, with the final appointment of the evening ranking at a perfect ten.
Oh, how I do look forward to supervising this project, every step of the way.
Hey look, now I'm cool like Aaron Landry:
The frog keeps close watch over my new coozie, just in case Taylor tries to steal it.
I actually acquired two new kitchen accessories this weekend. Behold my new refrigerator magnet from Heavenly Soles:
Isn't it lovely?
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