Mind-boggling Eels concert at the Fitzgerald Theater tonight. Mark Oliver Everett and the band were in top form. As I giddily posted to facebook afterwards, “Eels were SO good. I’d rank this in my top five lifetime shows. Stunning performance. We got Grace Kelly Blues AND Last Stop This Town. (Two favorite songs.) Along with a lot of great numbers from the latest album. Joy. Rapture.”
But that was only the beginning. After the second encore, Everett invites none other than Steve Perry (Journey!) on stage for his first public performance in 20 years. Unbelievable. A few pictures borrowed from the internet (my phone didn’t hold up) followed by a video of the Steve Perry encore:
We came across this display at a local St. Paul school a few weeks ago. It gave me hope. Kudos to the courageous parents, teachers, and administrators who resist the pressure to conflate standardized test scores with educational achievement.
Including the top shelf, out of the frame above, I counted 46 houses. The school has 570 students in grades 4-8 this year, suggesting that about 8% of the students opted out.
Griffin: “Daddy, want to help me build my castle?”
Daddy: “Sure! Hmm, let’s put this block over here…”
Griffin: “No! That doesn’t go there. It should go here.”
Daddy: “Oh, ok. … Is this the wall of the castle?”
Griffin: “No!” <rolls eyes> “That’s a row of milk jugs stuck together.”
Daddy: “Ah, I see. Is this the castle living room?”
Griffin: “No! That’s the trap for catching bad guys.”
…
An annual tradition, we joined friends near Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis for the 40th annual May Day Parade. It’s an incredible production every year. The pictures below illustrate some of the contrasts and creativity that characterize the parade. Click to view a larger slideshow.
Before the official parade began. Flaming punk ferris wheel and skating a half-pipe in a cage…
Big section on bees
The hive
A section focused on the tiny side of life.
A rotting log.
A beetle.
Amazing costume
Al Franken ran by just before the canoe guy, but I missed my shot.
We’re a Sriracha family normally, but last night we broke out the regular chili oil thinking it might go better with the delicious Tom Ka Gai that Sarah made (it didn’t).
Griffin reached for the unfamiliar bottle, took one look at the label, and exclaimed,
Maggie’s birthday, just a few days after Griffin’s rescheduled party, was a lower key affair, but fun for all of us. It began with some presents in the morning before Andrew went to school. Then a pancake breakfast with Caroline and Griffin. Then, by Maggie’s request, an expedition to Adventure Peak. After Andrew got home, we all headed over to the Highland Grill for dinner. Finally, a cake perfectly sized for a two-year-old.
Sleepy two-year-old.
I try! I try!
I like it!
Great new books from Caroline — best read together in a box, of course.
Special pancake breakfast with Caroline and Griffin
At French Meadow this morning Sarah asked for some cream with her coffee. When the cream arrived, Maggie turned around and patted her rear, saying, “Butt!” We were confused. She pointed at the cream, and again patted her tush, “On my butt.”
Mind-boggling Eels concert at the Fitzgerald Theater tonight. Mark Oliver Everett and the band were in top form. As I giddily posted to facebook afterwards, “Eels were SO good. I’d rank this in my top five lifetime shows. Stunning performance. We got Grace Kelly Blues AND Last Stop This Town. (Two favorite songs.) Along with a lot of great numbers from the latest album. Joy. Rapture.”
