Pumphouse Creamery

Pumphouse Creamery is, without a doubt, one of my favorite ice cream places ever. They’re located at 48th and Chicago, and they have amazing ice cream flavors and favor local ingredients. Their “house made waffle cones are made with local and organically grown whole grains and seeds from Whole Grain Milling Company in Welcome, MN.” 

Dar Williams in Saint Paul!

I adore Dar. And while I think that absolute best Dar concert is the Dar-at-Bryn-Mawr concert, tonight was pretty excellent (even though it was Dar and someone else). The first half of the concert consisted of Joan Osborne and then, finally, what I’d been waiting for all night — Dar appeared on stage. And she was her endearing, quirky, warm, exceptional self. It was a fantastic concert. 

At the Ani Concert: Ani DiFranco’s 41st Birthday in Minneapolis

I just got back from my second Ani DiFranco concert, and she was utterly amazing — magnetic, endearing, humourous, and, of course, musically incomparable.
And oh, man, can she play guitar.

Feeling Better About Minnesota

Despite my apprehension about my new job, I have begun to feel progressively better about being in Minnesota. Or rather, as I began and ended this week (Monday and now today), I was — and currently am — feeling positive.

Monday:

For all that visiting Chicago has made me desperately miss it and wish I were still/already living there, my brief time back has also, perhaps counterintuitively, made me feel better about spending the next year in Minnesota. Let me be clear: I miss Chicago; I miss my friends; I wish more than I can articulate that I were living there now. And yet, the fear that I’m going to be forgotten if I stay away is slowly ebbing. That fear was really fueling the need to get back now — the feeling that not only do I not want to wait, I can’t wait, or else I’ll lose everything and everyone I miss so much. It’s a stupid, irrational fear, but it was strong.

From Soprano 2 to Tenor 2: I’m Joining a Chorus!

For months, I have considered auditioning for a local LGBTA chorus: I love to sing, and I miss choral singing. Since I started T three months ago, however, my singing voice has changed immensely, which made selecting an audition piece absolutely nerve-wracking (not to mention the actual rehearsing of it and auditioning itself). As of Monday of last week, when I worked on my voice with my former high school choir director, I had a six-note singing range. That’s less than one octave. Nevertheless, I auditioned, and they accepted me!

Starting My New Job Tomorrow

Tomorrow marks the start of my new job — the first full-time, non-internship, non-temporary job I’ve ever had. In some ways, I’m eager to start: the sooner I start, the sooner twelve months will be up, and I’ll be able to search for jobs in Chicago. It will also be good to adjust to the new schedule and to have an income again (especially with the job market as it is). At the same, I’m nervous for a lot of reasons. I’m worried about coming out; I’m worried that I won’t do well; I’m worried simply because it’s the first day, and I don’t know what to expect. Above all, though, I’m anxious because it’s so different from what I want to be doing with my life (and I’m an idealistic recent college grad who wants to change the world). 

Just $1 to Support CeCe

I know that ten or twenty or fifty dollars may be more money than you can afford to donate to support Chrishaun (CeCe) McDonald. But what about one dollar? A single dollar — enough to buy a candy bar, or a small bag of chips, or a quarter of a gallon of gas. If we all gave just one dollar to support CeCe and spread the word, getting even more people to give a dollar and spread the word — there’s power in numbers. Just because we can’t afford to give large amounts of money doesn’t mean we can’t raise it. 

Something I’ve Never Told Anyone

Write about one thing you’ve never told anyone and explain why

This sounds odd, but I’m not actually certain what I’ve told people. There are, of course, a number of things I’ve kept under wraps, so to speak, but I’ve not really kept track of my secrets. I email certain people and just sort of unload everything in my mind at the time . . . pretty much without a filter. And then I don’t necessarily remember every single word of the tens or hundreds of thousands. But I’ve shared most of my secrets, whether they be related to gender, queerness, my worries, insecurities, fears of being forgotten. It’s difficult to think of something I’m certain I’ve never told anyone. And then if I can, it’s not necessarily something about which I want to blog — really, if I haven’t told the people I trust most, why would I tell the internet? Still, there’s one thing I’m willing to share that I’m pretty sure I’ve not yet told to anyone. 

It Will Always Be Camp Snoopy To Me

Oh, amusement park at the Mall of America, you'll always be Camp Snoopy to me.

While I was at the Mall of America the other day, I was rudely reminded that Camp Snoopy no longer exists — or at least, not as I knew and loved it. For several years, when I was little, my parents would take several of my friends and me to Camp Snoopy for my birthday. We’d get wristbands and run around the park all day, riding all the rides. It was glorious. Camp Snoopy has a very special place in my heart. And now, that timeless, lovable Camp Snoopy has been replaced by Nickelodeon Universe.

Rihanna at the Target Center

Rihanna at the Target Center

Last night, my two Twin Cities-based cousins and I went to the Rihanna concert at the Target Center. It was like no show I’d ever seen before. Half a dozen costume changes, pyrotechnics, glitter, platforms rising into the air — the works. Granted, I’ve never been to a concert so big before (Dar, Ani, Flogging Molly . . . I suppose the Glee tour comes the closest). All in all, Rihanna really puts on a show.