New President! Yes we can and did.

November 4th, 2008, Election Day: I think I can say it was the best day of the last 8 years. For well over a year, every time I've opened the refrigerator, I've looked at a postcard from Obama's campaign with a photo of Barack announcing his campaign in Springfield, IL and these words to live by: "In the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it".

I first learned of Barack Obama from my friend Mala who often spoke about her incredible Constitutional Law professor at the University of Chicago. Later came his 2004 Democratic National Convention Keynote Address "The Audacity of Hope" and suddenly everyone was talking about the man who would someday lead our country. Then I read his two books and was so interested in the stories of his family and commitment to community organizing in "Dreams from My Father" and his values and view of America in "The Audacity of Hope". If you haven't yet read his memoir, I was going to suggest buying it right now but see that it is sold out everywhere!

I am not an Obama supporter because I agree with all of his political positions. Throughout the campaign, my ultra-liberalism has come out many times as I've been frustrated by what I consider to be his moderate positions especially on the environment and gay marriage. But his message of HOPE is what I need to pull out of the FEAR message of the past 8 years. Since the Wellstones were killed in the plane crash, I have barely listened to the news for fear of the next horrible act of the current administration. Obama gives me hope that every day will now be better, that the world's perception of the U.S. can be positive again, that racial stereotypes will change.

On Election Night, Erin, Sheila, and I went to Policy and a Pint (New to Us) at MPR to watch the returns on large screens with great food and Summit for only $10. A really fun time, i would definitely recommend trying another Citizens League event. The countdown to 10:00 when the west coast posted their returns was like New Year's! And then in a second, the left coast turned blue on the screen, and the 8 worst years of my lifetime were over. There was nothing to do but cry. We listened to McCain's speech on they way home, and I thought it was very good (except for the background boo-ing). I watched Obama's speech at home with just my kitties and friends by text, and cried with happiness through the whole thing (especially the part about the new puppy!). Change has come to America! 

As you may know, Angie and I have a Presidential Bookclub and are working our way through the biographies of all of the American Presidents. Currently we are bogged down in John Tyler but someday we'll get to the 44th! Along those lines, I was super excited to see this New to Me exhibition at the Weisman this week:Hindsight is Always 20/20. The text is fascinating, and I can't stop thinking about the giant TERROR from Bush's legacy. Check it out before January 4th. In 8 more years our new President's message will be added: HOPE.

Bad and Good New

Bad New: The big New to Me event of the past 2 weeks is learning that I am allergic to cats and dogs and this is causing me to have asthma. Since this was a complete surprise, I will never know if I've had these allergies my whole life or if they developed recently. So far I've learned that the most allergen-producing dogs and cats are males with black fur and dogs with double coats (such as German or Dutch Shepherds). Check, check, check. That pretty much sums up the animals I've been exposing myself to lately. So I've been struggling with the emotional consequences of not touching or sleeping in bed with my favorite animals and with finding the right combination of medications so that I can give my co-workers a break from these 6 weeks of coughing. I'll keep you posted. See left for cutest kitty ever: Chloe.

Good New: Emily and I had lots of fun on Saturday night trying three New to Us hotel bars in renovated classic Minneapolis buildings. At least the RNC was good for something. 

1. Restaurant Max at the Hotel Minneapolis. The only reason we even went here was because the website claims to have happy hour from 9-11 everyday. Apparently, this means everyday except Saturday. I suggest trying it on any other day because the atmosphere is nice (a little too bright) and the drinks (especially Gatsby's Daisy) are excellent. The decor has probably too much going on but the historic features like the white marble columns are lovely.

2. B.A.N.K. at the Westin Minneapolis. Sorry, Angie, I just couldn't wait to try the deviled eggs (awesome)! I can safely say that BANK's feature drink, the blueberry mojito (with fresh berries), is the best cocktail I've ever tasted. Sitting in the cozy lounge seats in the dimly lit former Farmers and Mechanics Bank three story space, you feel like a glamourous visitor to another time. 

3. Prohibition at the W Minneapolis - The Foshay. My mom always used to tell me about the Foshay being the tallest building in Minneapolis until the year I was born so it was fun to finally get to the top of this cool Art Deco tower. Walking into the lobby on a Saturday night, the place was packed and didn't seem much like the Minneapolis that I know with the lines to each bar! We immediately decided to check out Prohibition and save the Living Room on the first level for a weeknight. The views from the 27th floor bar are great and I liked the intimate feel of the library-like space. Unfortunately, it really was too crowded to hang out so we just looped around and will have to visit again soon. 

Overall, it was fun to be tourists in our hometown on a warm fall Saturday night! The preservation of these amazing landmark buildings of Minneapolis as spaces for the public to experience (if you have a bit of cash for one spendy drink in each place) is great to see. 

Atmosphere

This post is about New to Me restaurant atmosphere worth checking out, not the concert tickets that Tab and I failed to get before the second show sold out this week. Lately we have been too focused on social activism (see First Fundraiser and CANtastrophe) to keep on top of all upcoming social activities. 

Not to say we've given up all social planning; we gathered for a baby shower for Mark and Amy at (new to most) Barrio at 9th & Nicollet this week. The excellent atmosphere reminded me of Barcelona: long and narrow space, red walls, dark with tasteful lighting. We skipped the house specialty tequila shots and compadres this time, but Mark and I enjoyed the tasty cocktails (see photo of us with Old Cubans and Cassie) while the others had non-alcoholic drinks unlike any Shirley Temples I've ever seen. Let's just say we hope Amy's drink was N/A - the glass was rather fancy. None of the food is on a happy hour special, but I'd still recommend the small plate of mahi mahi tacos for $3.50. Another great feature is that you can reserve a table!

Last week I also enjoyed a New to Me restaurant, Obento-Ya, my favorite since discovering Nameste. Stylish and small, this place is a gem in a tiny commercial district on Como & 15th Ave. SE. Ryan and I enjoyed the sushi, robata (do not skip the Japanese pumpkin skewer), and katsu. I can't wait to go back for the vegetable bento. Prices are super reasonable and service is good. I wish I could go there right now, but the only drawback to my new favorite restaurant is that it closes at 9:00 and is not open Sunday. They do have happy hour M-S 5:00-7:00 so just one more reason to go back tomorrow.

CANtastrophe

CANstruction turned out to be the most memorable New to Me event of the past week. What I thought was going to be a leisurely Saturday morning building a can sculpture with my co-workers became an all-day marathon of re-building the toppled ruins of 3000 cans of organic food under the lovely fluorescent lights of the Mall of America. The photo on the left (note wall of cans lilting a bit sideways) was taken 2 minutes before the photo on the right (note 3000 cans spread across the floor). I guess we should have recruited a structural engineer to our design team. By late afternoon, we had perfected the art of rubber band reinforcement and "St. CANthony Falls at Night" remained standing for the required 48 hours before we packed up what really looked more like a fancy grocery store display of Amy's canned soups to send to Second Harvest food shelf. Despite the extra time, the project was fun and watching a wall of cans topple like dominos just isn't something you get to see every day! 

Campus Ecology

New to Me: being quoted in an article on the National Wildlife Foundation's Campus Ecology website! Check out "The 'Demand' Response - Training Wheels to Energy Efficiency." I spend much of my day job thinking about energy efficiency and trying not to be completely frustrated all of the time with the building industry's lack of progress with regard to sustainability but won't get into it here!

Top Nine

The last 2 weeks were a vicious cycle of thinking I'm over this annoying cold and doing more new things, then feeling more sick and so on with the ultimate result of no blogging. Top 9 New Highlights:

1. AFH MN Twin Cities Homeless Locker Fundraiser - a big success with over 200 attendees and $3000+ raised for our project - thanks everyone for your support, and I'll post the details of the locker build date soon!

2. Playing tourist in my hometown and checking out hotels for Jonna's school project - climbed the Chambers stairwell to view the awesome murals by Juxta Arts (see light rail mural photo) and learned the lingo on a tour of the sassy new aloft hotel (see photo of me 'recharging' by 'splash' aka the pool). 

3. Visiting the Museum of Russian Art for the final week of the Russian Impressionism exhibition and the MIA for the first week of the Eero Saarinen show - go check out the architectural models.

4. Finally eating at the new Kingfield neighborhood restaurant: La Chaya. Loved the atmosphere (nice lighting), service, and wonderful food flavors - try the green bean, spinach, beet, and avocado salad. They are lacking any local beers on tap, unfortunately.

5. As it is the start of a new clothing season, Emily and I found ourselves at the MOA last week as it is the location of our favorite store: H&M. We now have a decent dinner option (Tiger Sushi) in the case of finding ourselves hungry for something other than the world's best banana creme pie (Twin City Grill).

6. For 2 days last week, everything was New to Me at my intro to Leadership Twin Cities. At this retreat, I was introduced to 60 new colleagues through a series of icebreakers, small groups, and training sessions. Many of us found it easiest to bond over the open bar at the bonfire! Look for more posts on LTC new adventures over the next 9 months.

7. Trying seriously sweet waffles at Sweet Lou's in Northfield. Liked the square theme throughout.

8. Listening to the amazing classical guitarist Sharon Isbin and the Minnesota Orchestra's performance of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. Also enjoyed Ginastera's Variaciones concertantes with all of the individual instrument solos.

9. I was not planning to list sailing on Lake Harriet as a New to Me activity until I found myself sailing ALONE this afternoon. Bill and I were enjoying the last day of summer when we came upon 2 people unable to right their capsized boat. He opted to help by jumping over to their boat thus leaving me alone on The Tangerine. Luckily, I'd had about 15 minutes of lessons earlier today so was able to sail myself around for awhile before figuring out how to pick him up again (nice jump, btw). Am very proud of my courage!

First Fundraiser

Please come to the Bedlam Theatre this Friday, September 12th, at 7:00 for the Twin Cities Homeless Locker Project Fundraiser!
Earlier this summer, TAB and I came up with the idea to host our first Architecture for Humanity Minnesota fundraiser to raise $ to build the lockers that were designed at the Search for Shelter charrette. Fundraising is definitely New to Me. Now the event is almost here, and TAB and Erin have done most of the work in pulling this together. We've already had an amazing $1000 donation from Angie's organization, the Family Housing Fund, so I totally feel like the project will be a success. Several artists have generously donated their work for the silent auction. Aviette, Derailleur, The Serfs, and DJ's Christian Fritz and Terrence Jerome have all offered to play the event. It should be a great time, and I hope you can be there!