roadtrip to St. Paul
Back in the saddle after a short weekend in St. Paul. LeAnn's good friend Shawn was celebrating his thirtieth birthday, so we went up Saturday for the party. Before we hit the party, however, we went out to dinner with Joanna and Michael. After considerable reflection, we decided on La Cucaracha, one of J and M's favorite Mexican restauants in the cities. I had an enchilada with pork and green tomatillo sauce that seared my taste buds in about the time it takes to say "tomatillo"...I must've drank at least five glasses of water!
After dinner LeAnn and I headed to the party proper. I met several of her friends, many of whom were, or are, from Dubuque (Shawn grew up in Dubuque, and his parents still live here). LeAnn's friend Randy lightly grilled me about my background and intentions, which I thought was touching (LeAnn described Randy as "the bigger brother I never had"). I was also impressed by Shawn's music and movie collection. He had a Sonic Youth poster signed by everyone in the band - pretty sweet. As soon as I saw that, I knew this guy was alright! *laugh*
On Sunday, LeAnn and I had breakfast at Joanna and Michael's. Joanna made a fantastic "egg bake" inspired by a recipe from Martha Stewart's Living magazine (I had to laugh at that!). And the bacon was SO good...Michael said it was smoked with applewood. I couldn't get enough!
Overall, I was rather happy with how the weekend went. This was the first roadtrip for us, and I believe that trips can test a relationship and reveal sides to (of?) your significant other that you may not see from day to day. Of course, we made the trip without LeAnn's daughter Maddie so things certainly would have been different had she been with us. And it was a short trip - just a couple days - so it wasn't a big test - not like a weeklong vacation. But it's a good start, I think.
A few cool things I re-disovered this weekend:
1. "I Ran" by A Flock of Seagulls. This was playing on the stereo at Shawn's party. One of the first music videos I remember seeing on MTV back in the day. In my mind, one of the finest slices of eighties new wave. Incredibly catchy.
2. E=MC2 by Big Audio Dynamite. Something - I'm not sure what - reminded me of this song this weekend, which I promptly downloaded from iTunes when I got home. Big Audio Dynamite is perhaps best known as Mick Jones's band after The Clash disbanded. This particular song reminds me of my sophmore year in college (1988-89). It's very clubby, which you wouldn't expect from a former member of the Clash. I probably haven't heard it for a good fifteen years. A great, forgotten song.
3. Ritter Sport Milk Chocolate Bar with Whole Hazelnuts. This is, quite possibly, my favorite candy bar ever. Even better than Skor! It's a German import, so you won't find it at the local Gulp 'n' Blow. I first discovered it when I was in Toronto this summer with Nicky. While in St. Paul this weekend I found it at the REI store, of all places! If you like chocolate, this is the good stuff.
After dinner LeAnn and I headed to the party proper. I met several of her friends, many of whom were, or are, from Dubuque (Shawn grew up in Dubuque, and his parents still live here). LeAnn's friend Randy lightly grilled me about my background and intentions, which I thought was touching (LeAnn described Randy as "the bigger brother I never had"). I was also impressed by Shawn's music and movie collection. He had a Sonic Youth poster signed by everyone in the band - pretty sweet. As soon as I saw that, I knew this guy was alright! *laugh*
On Sunday, LeAnn and I had breakfast at Joanna and Michael's. Joanna made a fantastic "egg bake" inspired by a recipe from Martha Stewart's Living magazine (I had to laugh at that!). And the bacon was SO good...Michael said it was smoked with applewood. I couldn't get enough!
Overall, I was rather happy with how the weekend went. This was the first roadtrip for us, and I believe that trips can test a relationship and reveal sides to (of?) your significant other that you may not see from day to day. Of course, we made the trip without LeAnn's daughter Maddie so things certainly would have been different had she been with us. And it was a short trip - just a couple days - so it wasn't a big test - not like a weeklong vacation. But it's a good start, I think.
A few cool things I re-disovered this weekend:
1. "I Ran" by A Flock of Seagulls. This was playing on the stereo at Shawn's party. One of the first music videos I remember seeing on MTV back in the day. In my mind, one of the finest slices of eighties new wave. Incredibly catchy.
2. E=MC2 by Big Audio Dynamite. Something - I'm not sure what - reminded me of this song this weekend, which I promptly downloaded from iTunes when I got home. Big Audio Dynamite is perhaps best known as Mick Jones's band after The Clash disbanded. This particular song reminds me of my sophmore year in college (1988-89). It's very clubby, which you wouldn't expect from a former member of the Clash. I probably haven't heard it for a good fifteen years. A great, forgotten song.
3. Ritter Sport Milk Chocolate Bar with Whole Hazelnuts. This is, quite possibly, my favorite candy bar ever. Even better than Skor! It's a German import, so you won't find it at the local Gulp 'n' Blow. I first discovered it when I was in Toronto this summer with Nicky. While in St. Paul this weekend I found it at the REI store, of all places! If you like chocolate, this is the good stuff.
posted by Mike Willis @ 8:59 PM
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