Friday Photography - Pastel Pink Flowers

I really, really love winter. Honestly, I do. But I've been thinking a lot about spring and summer this week. So this week's photo for Friday is a picture I took of beautiful flowers at the Mall of America.

Pastel Pink Flowers

This is by one of the fountains at the Mall of America. Just a few weeks ago, there were Poinsettias in their place and giant Christmas bulbs "floating" on the water. I like the pink better! Think Spring!

New Website: Twin Cities Spark

One of my clients has recently built a new website. Twin Cities Spark exists for only one reason: to Spotlight local Bloggers who have mastered their trade.

We have dabbled in the Trade and are constantly awed by the literary prowess of many local Bloggers. We can only aspire to attract the following and participation of these Masters! So we embark on this journey to Award those who deserve a larger microphone.

If you are reading this, you are probably a proficient, or at least aspiring, blogger. Do you know someone whose Blog is especially unique or just simply special? We would love your nominations and will consider every submission. Those that are “Spotlighted” on Twin Cities Spark will be eligible for an award…voted on by our audience.

I'm not even sure that I need to say much more, this pretty much says it all. Naturally, I'd love to be a featured blogger, but because of my close affiliation it wouldn't be fair. Maybe sometime, but right now we're looking for talented bloggers with strong followings to highlight as the Twin Cities' best (like this weeks's featured blogger, Rob at North Metro Photo Blog).

Take a look at the Twin Cities Spark page, explore the criteria for nominating a blog / blogger, and then please submit a form to tell us who you think stands out in the local blogosphere!

Haiku News - January 25, 2010

If your vote counted
before, now it won't unless
you make the big bucks.

Vigilantism:
Still alive and kickin' in
our United States.

TSA workers:
Now is not the time to play
tricks on people's minds.

Universally
understandable: Growls, screams,
sobbing, and laughter.

The mysterious
visitor to the grave of
Poe is Nevermore?

Play the blame game to
lose credibility and
creativity.

Solidarity
and altruism are not
strictly human traits.

Merriam-Webster's
Dictionary banned from school
for indecency.

With a dream to break
records, he will also break
the sound barrier.

I'm sure it's just like
climbing into bed with a
hot water bottle.

Friday Photography - Hot Air Balloon, Bitter Cold Day

I spotted this hot air balloon in the middle of winter. I pulled over onto a dirt road to snap a few pictures.

Hot Air Balloon

I wasn't the only one. There were 5 or so other cars pulled over on the same dirt road, most of them had their cameraphones out. Myself and one other person had professional/semi-professional cameras. It was kinda cool.

Review: Donny Dirk's Zombie Den in Minneapolis

Last week was my 30th birthday (no, I'm not shy about it) and to celebrate, a bunch of my friends and I went out to dinner and then to Donny Dirk's Zombie Den. It was a unique experience.

We went out to eat first, because for the life of me, I couldn't find a menu for Donny Dirk's. But then I saw it mentioned on their website that the Zombie Den is "One of only a handful of lounges where you can relax and drink... and there is no pressure to eat." Hmm, with the zombie theme, I can understand why the menu might be light. Additionally, the place is so small, I find it hard to believe they have much of a kitchen, anyway.

But they have a beautiful bar. Yes, beautiful. Donny Dirk's may be a new bar, but the building it inhabits has been around for at least 100 years. The architecture of this century-old building is still in tact. The bar used to be Frank's for decades following World War I. When the owner died and a new one took over, all of the bar stools were removed and Stand Up Frank's was born. Its tag-line appears to have been "We Mix 'Em Strong." No, I'm not kidding, just take a look at these ads. With nothing more to do than stand around and drink, Stand Up Frank's became a trouble-spot, filled with drunks and crime. Needless to say, it was shut down sometime in April of 2009 and remained closed for a while.

The tiny building was bought by the people who brought us Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge and Saint Sabrina's. They've been busy redefining the place. The age-worn bar that ran the length of the building is still there, along with its ornate ceiling, but there are stools! And booths! Extra chairs for those extra people, which we needed to fit 5 into a 4 person booth. And the joint was jumpin'.

When we arrived, there was no place to sit - the booths were filled, along with all the stools, and there were some people standing at the bar. We made our way to the end of the bar to order some drinks while we watched for a table to open up. I had a Voodoo Zombie, my friends ordered Sister Switchblades and Dark'n'Stormies. The Sister Switchblade was strawberry flavored. The Dark'n'Stormy was a ginger and rum drink. And the Voodoo Zombie was a strong rum drink with something called Pernod in it. All of them were exceptionally strong. And they had unique flavors, as many of Donny Dirk's signature drinks are old recipes from the 1930s and 1940s. If you only like frilly frou-frou drinks, the Zombie Den is not the place for you.

If you are hungry, Donny Dirk's is not completely without food. A Batphone, just like the red one in the "Batman" TV series has a direct line to Psycho Suzi's. You can order food from there and it will be delivered to the Zombie Den at your bidding.

When we finally got a table, I took a good look at the interior decorating here, which I love. It's sort-of like 1920s speakeasy meets 1950s horror movie mansion. The walls had this smoky mirrored tile that reflected the low lighting, making it seem brighter and dingier at the same time. The ornate ceiling was a yellow color and the floor had tiger-print carpeting. The booths and stools were brightly colored vinyl. Really, there was a richness to the decorations here. Until you saw the machete on the wall, the chain saw in the corner, and the zombie heads mounted to the wall. A neon sign behind the bar proclaims "Undead Frank Lives." At this bar, don't expect to watch The Game, whatever the sport, as there were horror movies being played on all the TVs.

The service was excellent. The bartenders were obviously busy but were very engaged with their customers. After we found our table, our server was extremely attentive. I didn't quite get the differences between the uniforms, though. The guys were wearing white-button up shirts with fake blood stains on them and black ties, ala Sean from Sean of the Dead. The ladies were wearing long black evening gowns. Big disconnect there, but that's part of the enigma, I guess!

The crowd at the Zombie Den was eclectic. There were some hipsters, goths, geeks, preps, working stiffs, and some people who looked like they had just come from the theatre. The atmosphere was lively, jovial, and warm. Because of the trouble associated with Stand Up Frank's, there is a dress-code at Donny Dirk's Zombie Den. But it's very easy to deal with, just don't wear a sports cap or a team jersey. Pretty easy, right?

When I told my friends we were coming here, they had a lot of ideas in their head of what it would be. I'm not sure if it met their expectations. They thought it would be more like an undead paradise, but I thought of it more like the bar in Sean of the Dead: A place to make your last stand should the zombie apocalypse happen. With the solid brick walls, few windows, and weaponry all over the walls, it would be a great place to hole up during a rising of the undead.

But until then, it's a great place to wet the whistle on a Friday or Saturday night.

Haiku News - January 18, 2010

If you are ready
to dish out harassment, be
ready to receive.

Sometimes we rescue
them, but as often, in more
ways, they rescue us.

The Twin Cities on
the River attract tourists
of all types and means.

Whatever you do,
don't let your children get caught
meeping during class.

"My gifted child tests
cops at Millennial Tech
Magnate Middle School."

For a price, put your
fate in their hands and tour the
world of LA gangs.

9 candidates for
Vermont Governor think it’s
time to call it quits.

One Spokane couple
is not just saying "I do,"
but "Can do" as well.

According to the
Carnival Cruise Lines, cougars
and cubs, though, "cannot".

Yale's mysterious
Skull and Bones society:
less mysterious.

Friday Photography - Snowy Minneapolis in Perspective

Last week in my Top 10 Posts for True to Words' First Year, a Friday Photography post called Minneapolis in Perspective came in at #5. Well, last week I also took a new picture of Minneapolis, in perspective, snowy and steamy!

Snowy Minneapolis in Perspective

It was cold. I think -10. I'm not 100% positive, but even if it wasn't, it might as well have been because I was standing on the Stone Arch Bridge over St. Anthony Falls and it was windy. But there the sun was shining and steam was coming off of the Mississippi River. It was a beautiful day in spite of the cold.

River, Steam & Sunshine

Collected Words of 2009 & the Aughts

I can't believe I missed these around the New Year. But I did catch them in time to do a haiku news about them. And since it is still within two weeks of the start of 2010, I think its okay that I mention them even if they are sooooooooo last year. ;)

The New York Times has a list of interesting buzzwords of 2009. This is a hodge-podge of common words used throughout the year. One sentence reads "Catchphrases and buzzwords can tell us much about a year past — what resonated, what stuck, what the year revealed about the sensibility of the nation, whether you’re a wise Latina woman, a mini-Madoff, a teabagger or Balloon Boy." Need I say more?

The 2009 Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year list is based on actual user lookups to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary and Online Thesaurus. The word of the year that received the highest intensity of searches over the shortest period of time is "admonish." A curious result.

On the other hand, the 2009 Word of the Year choice at Webster’s New World® College Dictionary was distracted driving. Not only is it quickly entering people's vocabulary as many are guilty of this on a daily basis, but it is rapidly entering law books around the world. One of their runner-up words is amusing and appalling at the same time:

wallet biopsy: examination, before medical service is provided, of a patient’s ability to pay, enabling the health care provider to decide whether free or discounted medical care is appropriate

The New Oxford American Dictionary's Word of the Year for 2009 was "unfriend." I think we all know what that one means! Along those same lines, the 121-year-old American Dialect Society chose "tweet" as the word for 2009. Going a step further, they also chose Google to be the word of the decade.Their voting process, which must satisfy the "crusty generation of veteran scholars and the giddy linguistic students whose jargon is a step ahead," sounds like it would be incredibly fun to sit in on. In fact, go ahead and read about it and watch the video!

The Global Language Monitor says its picks for the Top Words of the Decade were ‘Global Warming’, 9/11, and Obama followed by Bailout, Evacuee, and Derivative; Google, Surge, Chinglish, and Tsunami followed.

Noughtyisms: the Best Words of the Decade, is an article from the Guardian with a crazy list of unique, interesting words from around the world that were born in the new Millenium. Meh, smirting, helicopter mom. It even pointed out to me that "cellulite" was a local slang term in Minnesota for hail damage in 2006. Did not know that. Go ahead, it's a good, quick read.

9/11, iPod, friend, blog, and carbon made the top 5 words of the decade for the National Post. Additionally, i found this New York Post column which includes many of the English words I discussed here, but also talks about words of 2009 and the Aughts from around the world.

Finally, every year wordsmiths at Lake Superior State University issued their 35th annual list of words that they believe should be banned in 2010. Guess what? Some of the Words of the Year picked by other organizations and entities ended up on that list, including friend (in the verb form), unfriend, and tweet.

Phew. That was all of the ones I found. Any more, well, I guess I missed them! Oh how I wish the Urban Dictionary had a Word of the Year, but I couldn't find one. Better luck next year.

Good thing I'm done with this post, my spellchecker is not happy with all the portmanteaus!

Haiku News - January 11, 2010

New Year's merriment
will forever be followed
by quirky stories.

But it will also
always be accompanied
by Word(s) of the Year(s) lists.

Somewhere, someone is
badly in need of a left
leg on which to lean.

What is with all the
"Look, Mom! No Pants!" stories in
the depths of winter?

Once again, knives and
guns are not proper weapons
for a snowball fight.

Time, family, and
patience tame the feral child
of Cambodia.

Love it or loathe it,
snow sure does some pretty cool
and amazing things.

A scarred bruin in
Nevada is smarter than
the average bear.

Still authorities
wonder why fewer people
trust them with their lives.

There is a difference
between "knock-off" and satire.
Viva speech freedom!

Top 10 Posts for True to Words' First Year

Well, it has been one year since I started the True to Words blog. One year since I made the commitment to write more for myself. One year since I published the first post, but it was a concept in my mind long before it was electronic bits on a server.

Earlier this week, I made some Blogger New Year's Resolutions and talked about how I want to write more posts along the lines of themes I've already visited. I think the best way to do that is to revisit some of my more popular posts! Here are my most-visited blog posts from the past year:

10. Cursive Writing a Fading Skill. With 46 visits, this look at cursive writing and its gradual disappearance from school curriculum has been pretty popular! Apparently I'm not the only one who won't miss cursive writing.

9. Review: Slipknot Concert in Saint Paul. 51 puts this Slipknot concert review at No. 9. This was a review Slipknot's first concert in the band's All Hope Is Gone World Tour. It was a bitchin' time in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Except for Coheed and Cambria of course, but I digress. It was a shame Slipknot had to cut their tour short due to their drummer's illness, I would have loved to see them when they returned to Rochester.

8. The Word: Accountability and Friday Photography - Driftwood Sculpture. These two posts tie at 8 with 53 visits each. I really like the Driftwood Sculpture. It's a brief post and worth checking out. And Accountability? It's a damn good word. Informative and predictive.

7. Hip Hop and the English Language. After 61 visits, I am not surprised this post is popular. It comes up in all sorts of different crazy searches that sometimes thrill and often confuse me. I still think modern hip-hop in general sucks, but new-to-me Atmosphere and Brother Ali are starting to make me come around to some of it.

6. Third Annual Minnesota Garlic Festival. In 2008, I had the chance to write an article for the Wright County Drummer about the Minnesota Garlic Festival. In 2009, I got permission to post the article on my Twin Cities Freelance Writer website and highlighted it here in my blog (I also visited the festival again!). In 2010 and with 65 visits, it is on my Top 10 visited post list. I highly recommend taking a look, and then make sure you visit next year if you live in Minnesota. It is a flavorful event that supports local farmers.

5. Friday Photography - Minneapolis in Perspective. If you spend any time at True to Words, you know that photography is my second love after words (and Sam Can Shoot, if I do say so myself).  And Minneapolis has plenty to photograph. Minneapolis in Perspective has been viewed 74 times, and possibly could have even made it a contender for My Top Photos of 2009 at the Sam Can Shoot Blog, had I used this post's popularity as any sort of guide. A great photo of Minneapolis as seen from the Stone Arch Bridge.

4. In Memory of Ian Talty. 79 Views. A poem and a post I would give just about anything to not have felt the need to write. We love you and miss you, Ian, and your unique ability to find the Joy of the Mundane.

3. Language Barrier: Got Milk? This was one of the most fun posts to write. With 113 views, I'm so glad to see that other people like it, too! It's a look at how the "Got Milk?" ad campaign which was so popular in the U.S. absolutely flopped when it was taken international.

2. Friday Photography - 1953 Dodge Coronet. I get tons of page views for this from people searching for Dodge Coronets. 131 for this post. Other pictures in the full set of 1953 Dodge Coronet photos on my Flickr page are popular, too. I've seen some of the other pictures of Coronets on the 'net, and this one is a beautiful classic. The pictures were taken with my old camera, but if I see it out this summer again, I'm going to take more of this shiny red car with my shiny new camera. Yeah.

1. Ian Talty Exhibit to Open at SpotArt. My friends and I hyped this event ourselves, telling everyone we could. I was honored to write this press release and posted it here so that there was something published and accessible about the event. That’s part of why this post rose to the top with 201 page views. My friends and I were determined to be an all-out marketing team for Ian's photo exhibit and because of all the love and support for him, it was a rousing success. Hundreds of people visited the gallery and two pieces sold right away on the first night.  You can see photos of the Ian Talty’s SpotArt photo exhibit, too.

So there you have it, my Top 10 posts for the past year. It is a unique mix of content with some laughs and some tears. What a roller-coaster year 2009 has been, I'm not sorry to see it go. But I am curious to see what 2010 has in store.

My Blogger New Year's Resolutions

True to Words has been around for almost one year! And this is it's first time "seeing" the start of a new year. So I've decided that I will make myself a few Blogger New Year's Resolutions. This year, I resolve to:

1. Write more blog posts
2. Increase post variety
3. Blog more consistently
4. Revisit topics more often, like Bad Ad Placements and Language Barrier.
5. Write more reviews of music, movies, etc.

Last year I wrote just under 100 posts. This year I would like to write at least 100 posts! Anyone else making Blogger New Year's resolutions?

Friday Photography - Happy New Year!

My goony dog, Spirit, say's "Happy New Year!" I say Happy New Year, too!

Check out my new photography project over at Sam Can Shoot.