And You May Ask Yourself

Once In A Lifetime
I just have to say that I’ve had “Once In A Lifetime” going through my head almost constantly since I saw that ad for the PDD help page. So now I must share with you all the absolute strangeness that is the video. Thank you, PDD Designer Gods!

Minnesota Book Awards 2009 Duluth Finalists

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Books by Tony Dierckens (Crossing the Canal) and Chris Monroe (Monkey with a Toolbelt) are finalists in the Minnesota Book Awards.

Huzzah and congratulations!

Strib story

PDD Banners on Flickr

Check ’em out here.

From the Fortress of Solitude…or Duluth

Taken on Park Point today for your viewing pleasure

Walking on the ice.

Good skating on the big lake!

Alas

 CANCELED

For those not going to the Mitchell…

Beaner’s has been kind enough to let me display roughly 40 new drawings and paintings. Reception is this Thursday @ 6:00. They’ll be up on the wall through February.

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The EP will be a free download: “Bone Black: improvisations on amplified harmonica”, but you have to actually go to the reception to get the URL.

My good friends Clint Boylan and Toby Churchill will be playing music throughout the night as well. It’s really worth it just to see them.

Wait… Did I mention all of this is free?

Sammy.
p.s. (pdd 3.0 is nifty)

New PPD = WIN, New Banner Policy = FAIL

I am very happy that the PPD nerds continue to strive forward into the 21st century.  The switch from MT to WP was a fine platform choice and the chosen design is quite lovely.  A certain DIY aspect was lost however with the new banner submission process.

I’ll detail my complaints in order:

  • The Perfect Duluth Day logo will be added by PDD’s art department.
  • You will not be notified if your photo has been accepted or rejected.
Personally, the best part banner making is choosing where the PDD logo goes, how it blends into and becomes part of the photo, etc.  Also I really enjoyed the immediate thrill of seeing the banner live immediately after posting.  I can think of many times I sat there and refreshed my browser until I’d see my submission.
I would wholeheartedly enjoy a re-thinking of this policy.  Perhaps the addition of the logo by the artist could be allowed yet approval still required?  My $0.02.  As always, keep up the good work, staffers.

Posting from my phone is awesome.

WordPress has an app for the iPhone and iPod touch. It is free and will be updated soon with more functionality.

I was gone for a while

trees!

trees! st. john v.i.

Wow, let’s me edit after posting!

Looks different–I’m sure there’s all kinds of new functionality here. Looking forward to more of the same madness and even some new kinds. Thanks for all the energy you’re putting into new kinds of community. This forum is one of the things I look enjoy repeatedly checking in with on an almost daily basis.

A New Dawn

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Congratulations guys, it looks good. It will take some getting used to. Whenever you have a regular hangout that changes, even for the better, it’s kind of a shock to the system to see the look of the site so radically different. I can’t speak for everyone but I certainly appreciate the effort.

Rubber Chicken Improv

Rubber Chicken Improv has been strutting its stuff on local stages now since the troupe started up last year. The group has been performing shows at venues around the Twin Ports and even took on Dudley Riggs in the Twin Cities last November at a local fundraiser. (Mayor Don Ness was on hand to present the trophy to Rubber Chicken for besting the Minneapolis improv troupe in one of the shows!) And now, Sharon Dixon Obst and her crew of improvisational comedians would like to share their funny business with folks in the Northland.

Every Sunday from 2-6pm at the Proctor Area Community Center, Sharon and her improvisational troupe get together in a relaxed and friendly environment to work on their art, learning new improv games and becoming more closely knit as a team. These meetings are free and open to the public, no matter what the age or the profession. “Even if someone has no intention of joining us onstage, learning improv has many benefits,” said Obst at a recent rehearsal. “Anyone, in any walk of life, can use the skills improv teaches, such as creative problem-solving, building teamwork, and speaking effectively in front of a group.”

Some participants who have learned from Rubber Chicken Improv include a medical administrator, a high school principal, a doctor, and communications instructors. “It’s open to anyone and everyone who wants to give it a try,” said Obst. “So come on and join us this Sunday!”

As mentioned, Rubber Chicken Improv is being headed up by Sharon Dixon Obst. Sharon graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Superior and has been working steadily in theater since she took her first acting class 32 years ago. She has been a writer, a performer, a producer, a director, an acting/vocal coach and teacher in the Duluth/Superior area for the past 16 years. Sharon has also been a guest lecturer at The College of St. Scholastica on Improvisational Theater.

To make reservations for the Sunday Improv Get-Togethers, please call (218) 213-2780, or email [email protected].

(Pictured left to right) Rubber Chicken Improv Director Sharon Dixon Obst is ready to accept the Improv-A-Looza Late Show Championship Trophy from John Haynes, the director of the Brave New Institute at Dudley Riggs, and judges Matthew Feeney and Duluth Mayor Don Ness.

Newness

Congratulations, you’re a virgin again

Attention PDD Bloggers:

Because of the switch to WordPress, you can no longer log in with your old account to create posts. You have to register for a new account.