You're Gonna Make It After All

(With apologies to Mary Tyler Moore).

This weekend we went to Minneapolis for a couple of days because I was giving a paper at the Upper Midwest regional AAR/SBL. Aside from that bit of business, we walked around the city, enjoyed being in a city, and ate some very good food. We were particularly impressed with the skyway system, pictured above-- even though it's now quite temperate (in the 40s), very sensible way to get around a cold weather city. I wish Oshkosh had a skyway :-). Nice uniform signage, good times all around.

I did think that the elevator we took up to the skyway looked like it belonged on an episode of Star Trek(TOS):



I guess it's that charming vintage 60s look.

Before we left, someone tried to stowaway:



But she did not meet with success.

Good eating was had at Rainbow Chinese Restaurant,Brit's Pub, and Duplex. Very good stuff. I particularly liked Duplex. Next door to Duplex is Namaste, which is billed as home of the best chai in city (or twin cities?), and it did not disappoint, nor did the mango pudding.

Librarian friends, if you are reading-- Public Libraries Association was holding a meeting this weekend and our hotel was filled with drunken librarians. I can only imagine what the ALA is like. Goodness. (Not that the big AAR is lacking in cordials, mind you).

Further images below. On the long drive home, of course, we made the requisite stop for cheese and emerged.... victorious!

Spring?

Well, kind of. We're getting there. For the past couple of weeks, we've had a lot of days where the high is around 40 (or even 45! crazy!) and much of the snow has indeed melted. As you can see in the picture above, there are still piles-- and in this case, there had just been another storm that dropped an inch or two-- but the snow is definitely going away.

Lake Winnebago is still frozen, BUT the Fox River is flowing--it's kind of funny to watch it flow down into the lake until there's a point on the horizon where it just-stops.

It's spring "break" if a "break" means writing a conference paper and grading some exams. It is definitely nice not having to prepare for class for a week. Sort of heavenly, actually. We also went to an awesome cooking class at one of my favorite restaurants in the region, the very smashing Big Tomatoes of Neenah. Chef RC made many delights, including gnocchi, pan-cooked pork (ok only I ate that part), a polenta cake topped with strawberries and the best cabbage we have ever tasted. Yum! They were really nice about M. being a veggie, leaving the bacon out of various dishes that might have had some and the bone marrow (mmmm, bone marrow!) out of the risotto until his portion had been served. Good times.

So, early-spring in Wisconsin-- a slight, gradual wake-up. No flowers or birds or blossoms or anything crazy like that, but the sight of the actually ground, and one's face no longer hurts when you go outside. Happy Ostara, everyone. Happy start of the Major League Baseball Season! And, as one of my students noted to me, we had a week with BOTH St. Patrick's Day AND Purim-- two of the drunkest holidays there are, a mere four days apart. Now, if there are more convincing arguments out there for interreligious optimism and the brotherhood of man, I'd like to hear them.

Play ball!

Chocolate Wars

The New York Times recently noted that the Fox Valley area of Wisconsin is noted for its many independent chocolate manufacturers. Oshkosh in particular has two family-run chocolate businesses, Oak's and Hughes. We discovered Oak's rather quickly, as they have a store (one of three total) just a block from our home. We've probably shopped there a half-dozen times since we moved here, and they're always good.

Recently I discovered the existence of Hughes, so last month Jodi and I took a trip there to experience the competition. Hughes is run out of just one location, the basement of a family home, and sells its chocolates almost exclusively in one-pound boxes. We got some nut clusters, and wow, I think they were even better than Oak's. While we were there, I asked the clerk about the the intra-city competition -- what was the difference between the two stores? She didn't have much to say in terms of comparing them. When I asked "So Hughes is better, right?" she smiled and said yes, but she refused to elaborate.

Today I stopped by our local Oak's again on the way back from some downtown errands. After buying some coconut clusters and raspberry truffles, I asked the Oak's clerk about the rivalry and to compare the two stores. She wouldn't say much, except to mention one product that only the competition carried, even though it was obvious that Oak's has a larger selection overall. When I asked her which store was better, she wouldn't venture an opinion, except to say that people just ate what their families grew up with. I tried once more, saying that I was relatively new in town and without chocolate allegiances, but she refused to engage.

Is this a lot to write about two chocolate stores, or rather the non-battle going on between them? Yes it is. I just wish that somehow the Democratic primary battle still had this level of cordiality.

The Winter of Packers' Fans Discontent

Well, the news broke this morning while I was proctoring an exam: Brett Favre is retiring. I suspect there will be considerable rending of garments here in the Badger State. It was a great year for Favre and the Packers, despite the pain of the overtime loss to the Giants... wow.

And, fittingly perhaps for this news, the weather just keeps staying cold, cold, cold and snowy, snowy, snowy. I've had it. I'm the kind of person who actually likes winter-- getting out the sweaters, drinking hot beverages, tromping around in the snow, etc.-- but even I have completely had it. It's March. This morning when I got up it said "10, feels like -1."

I'm not asking for 75 and sunny, although I'm so desperate I actually starting looking at California airfares (v. high) the other day. (Those palm trees in Florida on the Red Sox spring training broadcasts look sooooo good). All I want is 45 degrees and no ice on the sidewalks or roads. Seriously. I know there won't be flowers and puppy dogs and short sleeves here for a long time. That's ok. Just 45 and easy walking. That's all I want.

On the other hand, I could live in the world's darkest town and only be seeing my first sunrise since the fall this coming Saturday. That would be worse.