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Duluth News Tribune – Our view: Why no arrests after glitter-bombings?

Feb 09, 2012 11 Comments

Today’s DNT op-ed: “Our view: Why no arrests after glitter-bombings?”

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Overseas Travel

Feb 08, 2012 22 Comments

My 19-year-old daughter will be traveling overseas in March. Other than Mexico, this is her first out-of-the-country trip. I have limited out of the country travel experience and instead of instilling my fears of “what could happen” I want to offer her my support and well wishes.

Although she is in the military, this trip to Italy is for pleasure. She is fortunate in not having to worry about lodging as she will be staying with a friend. Her friend is also Air Force and lives off base.

Tidbits of advice I have so far is to make copies of passport and leave one at home or when using check card or credit card may get you at an acceptable rate but you may be imposed with fees.

Recommend travelers checks? What about using her current cell phone or ditch it for a pay as you go phone once she gets over there? Any advice appreciated!


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Duluth not romantic, says FourSquare

Feb 08, 2012 14 Comments

Um, I’m sorry … what?!?

Strib article here: “Foursquare: Romance is gone in Duluth”


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I’ve Missed the Snow This Year

Feb 07, 2012 10 Comments

Here’s a photo from last year, and a poem I wrote as I meditated on the picture.

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Google Kansas Starts Hanging Tubes

Feb 06, 2012 2 Comments

“Google Inc. will begin construction today in Kansas City, Kan., on its long-awaited, much-coveted ultrafast Internet service. The company planned to make the announcement this morning in a blog post by Kevin Lo, the Google executive heading up the project.”


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Duluth Dog Walker

Feb 01, 2012 3 Comments

It’s a beautiful winter and I need to get my dog outside. I just don’t have the time to run with her right now. Does anyone know an excellent dog walker that I could contact? I’m looking for someone that can keep her moving for at least 30 minutes.


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Looking for grand ideas & Dulu-tia (Duluthminutia).

Jan 31, 2012 3 Comments

(Getting to the end — thank you so much for putting up with these January in Duluth encroachments in this wonderful space.)

Last day of January and I have a few sackfuls of questions with incomplete/partial answers. With time running out, maybe you can give me a few hints on my homework? Below, I’ve boiled down a list of [A] v. [B]s, isolating dichotomies about life here in Duluth — if you have a few extra intro/outrospective minutes to kill today, I’d love to hear how you’d weigh in on any or all of these. Of course, in each matchup there’s no need to declare a clearcut winner (balance in all things), so your answers can take the form of one word or a phrase or a few thoughts or an essay if you’re exceptionally motivated.

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And then he turned into a pumpkin and rolled away…

Jan 30, 2012 20 Comments

But not forever, I’m thinking.

So tomorrow is the last day of January in Duluth (and everywhere else too). I’m going to be writing a post in the morning asking some bigger picture questions I’ve been thinking about, but haven’t answered definitively. Look out for that (also, if you’ve been following and holding back, you can tell me what you really think about the project — but wait for tomorrow to do that).

For today, I have a morbid question. If you knew tomorrow were your last day on earth, and you were to spend it entirely within Duluth/immediate surrounding area, what would you do? A last day, in Duluth.


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Not Missing the Boat: CSAs in Duluth

Jan 29, 2012 9 Comments

I always wait until too late. Not this year!

What Community Shared Agriculture projects would you recommend? I’m an old, fat man who isn’t willing to work on the farm to cut his costs, and who is deathly afraid of programs that mandate that I go to a specific place within a 45 minute window once a month or lose my food.

What would you recommend?


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The Don and a film maker with time to kill?

Jan 26, 2012 No Comments

The January Days are dwindling and the need to gorge on as much Duluth as possible is rising. I spent an hour with Mayor Ness today — he’s a wonderful guy. Also, I had an odd idea I might try to execute this weekend if anybody is interested.

Is anybody out there a film person? I have a very short film I’d like to make — named “100 Seconds of Solitude” — that’s reasonably simple in concept/shooting but might be a little tricky to edit. If anybody wants to spend some time this weekend on a fun project, I’ll bring the beer!


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Organize my iTunes

Jan 26, 2012 7 Comments

I’m looking for somebody to get our iTunes library consolidated and organized – or maybe some advice on how to do it. Right now it’s spread out over three lap tops and an external hard drive. Perhaps iCloud is the solution? All I know is that right now it’s a GF and I feel a bit overwhelmed thinking about it. Thoughts or advice?

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The good kind of profiling.

Jan 23, 2012 3 Comments

As part of the January in Duluth project, I’ve been working a bit with talented Duluth photographer with Kip Praslowicz, particularly with his awesome Dramatizations of Everyday Life series. Essentially, I’ve been piggybacking photos he’s done, doing an audio/narrative version of his portraits. I just finished one on Anna Affias (which I really enjoyed putting together) and did one last week on Rich Narum (not from the same series, but from the same photographer). These were the exact kinds of stories I hoped I’d be able to do in Duluth, which brings me to a question:

Anybody out there have a specific story they’d like to share? Particularly if it in some way ties into your experiences living here? (If you’ve ever had This American Life aspirations, this might be a good time to give it a shot) I’d love to do the recording and producing, and perhaps Kip might be interested in also doing a portrait. Also, if it’s not a specific story, we could just sit down and chat about your experiences here.

(Also, the clock’s ticking on January, so if this idea at all interests you, get in touch soon!)


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Duluth vs. the Midwest

Jan 19, 2012 2 Comments

January in Duluth rolls on, including a piece on Rich Narum’s monthly dip in Lake Superior for over 15 years.

I have an invitation to offer — I’m looking for Wisconsinites and other Midwesterners who have relocated to Duluth to talk about their process of adjustment, assimilation, and Duluthification. I was looking to record parts of this conversation, this Saturday, at Anchor Bar in Superior. Any immigrants interested in a drink and chat?


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Nom-Du-Luths

Jan 13, 2012 52 Comments

The other day, I heard somebody refer to Duluth in passing as “the back of beyond.” Nothing official, or even a phrase restricted to Duluth for that matter, but I really liked it. What are some other official and unofficial ways you use to describe the Duluth? Little turns of phrase, short descriptions, or casual nicknames are great. As far as I’m concerned, the more personal the better.

Also, the January in Duluth project is buzzing along, including a piece of mythological short fiction that links Prometheus and the unseasonably warm weather of the first couple January weeks.


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Stadium plans

Jan 13, 2012 19 Comments

Dear Governor Dayton:

I say a) let the Vikings drop dead; or b) build the stadium in Duluth on the US Steel site and make it a stop on the Northern Lights bullet train.

Oh, wait–this was due yesterday, wasn’t it? Whoops. Still, you have to admit either of my ideas are way better than anyone else’s.

Yours truly,
The Big E


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