I last posted my list of MN blogs in October, since then I’ve added quite a few. Here is the latest list. I also attached an OPML file for your convenience. Enjoy. Read more…

With cold weather finally descending on Minneapolis, it’s time for those of us lucky enough to live in the frozen tundra to come up with ways to stay warm.  As I grew up in Montana and went to college in Grand Forks I have plenty of experience keeping warm.  For those of you that are not ready for the cold, here are a few tips from someone crazy enough to live in the cold for 20+ years. Read more…

I’ve currently been on a photo kick.  I’ve gone out one or two days a week and taken a ton of photos.  Of course 90% don’t turn out, but I wanted to share a few of my favorites with you. Read more…

This is my second holiday season in Minneapolis.  Last year I did a poor job of experiencing what the Twin Cities has to offer in the holiday spirit department.  I’m hoping to remedy that somewhat this year.  Some things I want to do.

• Attend Hollidazzle.  I’m not that into parades, but I think I need to attend an event that has been a part of Minnesota for so long.
• Attend at least one holiday themed stage production.  I’m not sure which one at this point.  A Christmas Carol seems to be popular.
• See the lights around Lake Phalen.  This is a new event, but looks fun and it’s for charity so I want to check it out. Via Metblogs
• The Grand Meander - I hadn’t heard about it until this year, but it looks fun.
• Holiday Traditions at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts - Looks like a relaxing and fun exhibit.
• Macy’s Santaland - I may not be a kid anymore, but who isn’t a kid at heart during Christmas.
• Drive around looking at lights - This isn’t an event, but my family used to to this every Christmas.  I’m guessing some of the homes in the Lowry Hill and the chain of lakes area would be amazing.

Any other suggestions?

I wrote about this on Twitter but thought I would share it here.  Sunday night the Metropolitan Symphony Orchastra will be performing at St. Olaf’s Catholic Church.  The concert starts at 7:30.  Here is a link for more information.  The concert itself is free and no ticket is required though the orchastra does ask for donations.  There is also free parking at the energy center building on the second floor or above.  I’ve talked to a few of the players and they all say it will be a really good show.

I spent yesterday trying to wrestle an interesting post idea out of thin air.  On the way I did come up with a neat idea that will be unveiled on Friday, but nothing to use today.  So instead I’ll just show off some photos I took over the weekend.  First two shots of the Target Field Construction area. Read more…

This past weekend I kept myself pretty busy.  First I went to the monthly meeting of Penguins Unbound.  There, I listened to Paul Cutler give a talk on Foresight Linux.  This was interesting and getting out and trying to become involved in the Linux community in the Twin Cities is definitely something that I am going to continue.  Listening to someone who is involved in the decision making for a successful distribution was great and I felt that I have a better understanding of how much work goes into maintaining an established distribution.

The second part of my day was taken up by driving to Cannon Falls and biking the Cannon Valley Trial.  It was great, the trail is well maintained, there are a ton of rest stops along the way, and it’s tree covered so you don’t get fried when you forget sunscreen, as I did.  When I started the riding I planned on going about 15 miles and turning around, thinking that 30 miles would be about all I could do, but by the time I hit 15 miles I decided to just continue to the end.  So I ended up riding 40 miles total on Saturday.  I was exhausted at the end of it, but it was a great way to spend the afternoon.  If you are in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, I highly recommend making the trip to Red Wing or Cannon Falls and taking the trail.  It is $3 for a wheel pass, but it’s worth every penny.