Decade in Review: Personal Stuff

2000: Promotion at work, post college dropout job turns into career

2001: Started my blog, became a Liberal after years of being Independent/Conservative

2002: Watched the Gopher hockey team win it’s first National Championship in 23 years. Greatest sports moment I’ve ever seen live

2003: Went on my first date in 5-6 years

2004: Best year ever, fell in love

2005: Really got into craft beers, went to NYC for the first time

2006: Got Married

2007: Sold house I bought in 99, moved 6 blocks west, turned 30

2008: Joined CSA, changed the way we cook and eat

2009: Found out we were having a baby

Basically, the last decade ended with me being about as depressed as I could get and this one ended on a complete high, so I’ll call that a win.

2009 Music: Best of

Top 10 Albums for 2009

1. Fanfarlo – Reservoir
2. Lacrosse – Bandages For The Heart
3. Metric – Fantasies
4. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
5. The Rural Alberta Advantage – Hometowns
6. Throw Me The Statue – Creaturesque
7. The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love
8. The Boy Least Likely To – The Law Of The Playground
9. Bats for Lashes – Two Suns
10. P.O.S. – Never Better
11. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
12. Handsome Furs – Face Control
13. Passion Pit – Manners
14. St. Vincent – Actor
15. Eyedea & Abilities – By The Throat
16. David Bazan – Curse Your Branches
17. The Thermals – Now We Can See
18. The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You
19. Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career
20. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion

Most Listened to Artists during 2009

1. P.O.S.
2. Lacrosse
3. Brother Ali
4. The Decemberists
5. Phoenix
6. The Rural Alberta Advantage
7. Neko Case
8. Fanfarlo
9. Metric
10. Bat for Lashes

Most Listened to Tracks during 2009

1. P.O.S. – Goodbye
2. P.O.S. – Purexed
3. P.O.S. – Drumroll (We’re All Thirsty)
4. P.O.S. – Let It Rattle
5. Caroline Smith And The Good Night Sleeps – Tying My Shoes full track
6. P.O.S. – Low Light Low Life
7. Toki Wright – Next Best Thing
8. Solid Gold – Get Over It
9. Phoenix – Lisztomania
10. Phoenix – Fences
11. Dirty Projectors – Useful Chamber
12. The Rural Alberta Advantage – Don’t Haunt This Place full track
13. The Rural Alberta Advantage – Drain the Blood
14. Eyedea & Abilities – This Story
15. St. Vincent – Actor Out of Work

2010 is going to be a very good year :)

also posted on Tumblr with a bunch of likes from tumblr friends.

Top Concerts of the Decade

I don’t go to as many shows these days as I used to, but I do feel like I’ve seen a lot of great shows. I’ve seen over 160 shows this decade  and probably a lot more since I don’t have a record of a lot of the local shows I went to earlier in the decade. Picking a top 10 wasn’t easy, but I do feel like this is a great summary of my music habits over the years.

If you want to see my full list of concerts I’ve seen over the years, you can see them here: Full Concert List

1. 11/27/04 – 400 Bar – Arcade Fire
   Seeing that their career completely took off in 2005, I’m still in awe of how great it was to be at this show. So many people on a tiny stage, drumming off of band members wearing motorcycle helmets, on the walls, on the floor, on the ceiling. (my review)
2. 10/14/01 – Civic Opera House – Bjork / Matmos
   Historic theaters in Minneapolis are nice, but they are incredible in Chicago. I still have my opera-style glasses they handed out at the show, which we definitely had to use since we were seated so far back. This is still the only time I’ve seen Bjork, my favorite music artist of all time.
3. 6/23/01 – Gorge Amphitheater (WA) – Radiohead / Beta Band
   8/23/03 – Alpine Valley Amphitheater (WI) – Radiohead
   Two Amphitheater shows that were fairly similer. The show at the Gorge was great because a bunch of us went out to Seattle to visit some friends that were living there at the time. The venue was beautiful, and it was just a great time. Alpine Valley was memorable because even though the venue kinda sucks, and we were super late in getting there and missed Steven Malkmus open, my buddy Ben and I were able to snake our way through thousands of people, all the way to the front of the general admission area. (my review, Jamie’s review)
4. 11/11/00 – Crocodile Cafe (Seattle) – Death Cab for Cutie / Pedro The Lion
   I had seen both bands a few months earlier in Minneapolis (separate shows), but nothing beats seeing two favorite bands in their hometown.
5. 6/3/04 – 400 Bar – The Decemberists
   Very similar to the Arcade Fire show in that we had no idea they would end up as big as they have become, and also in the amazing energy they displayed on such a tiny stage in a small venue. This show was after both Castaways and Cutouts, and Her Majesty The Decemberists had been released, so it would have been great to have been at the Triple Rock show. (my review)
6. 10/31/03 – Fitzgerald Theater – Belle & Sebastian / The Hidden Cameras
   What made this show so great was that it was on Halloween night, and everyone was all dressed up. The bands and the audience both, all dressed up in costumes, sitting in a beautiful theater. And this was also my first time seeing Belle & Sebastian, which made it all the more special. (my review)
7. 3/26/02 – First Avenue – Death Cab for Cutie / Dismemberment Plan / Cex
   Death and Dismemberment Tour. Best concert name ever. And two of my favorite bands from early in the decade
8. 1/7/05 – 7th St Entry – Atmosphere / Musab / P.O.S. / Swiss Army
   I think the first time I saw Atmosphere in concert was during a music and movies event in Stevens Square Park sometime after Overcast was released around 97 or 98, and I’ve seen them quite a few times since then. But this 7th St Entry show was part of a week long series they did. P.O.S. opening was a special treat, though I would have much preferred to have seen Brother Ali. (pre show review)
9. 9/23/09 – First Avenue – Sunny Day Real Estate / The Jealous Sound
   SDRE was my favorite band in college in the late 90s. I think I listened to LP2 non stop, much to the distaste of my roommate. I had seem them a few times before, but never with Nate on bass, and never with as much joy as they had on this most recent tour.  (review)
10. 6/8/07 – 400 Bar – The National
    I hadn’t planned on going to this show until Kyle sent me a text saying that there were tickets available at the door. I was really getting into them so I drove down as fast as I could. So glad I did. Such a great show.  (my review)

Honorable Mention:

1/7/08 – Nomad World Pub – Nada Surf
This wasn’t a full show, but  a special acoustic set for a Reveille Magazine Party. It’s still the only show I’ve ever seen of theirs, which really sucks, because Nada Surf is one of my favorite bands. (my review)

6/24/04 – Pantages Theater – The Magnetic Fields/Andrew Bird
The Magnetic Fields weren’t all that great, but we walked away super impressed with this whistling and violin playing guy named Andrew Bird. (my review)

7/27/05 – Minnesota Zoo – Tegan and Sara
The MN Zoo is such a great place to see a show, and this was shortly after So Jealous, one of my favorite albums of the decade. This show was also the first time I met Kyle from More Cowbell. (my review)

5/27/00 – First Avenue – Elliot Smith
I don’t really remember this show anymore, but I’m glad I was able to see him live.

Also posted on Tumblr

Minneapolis Election 2009

Hey, did you know there is an election next week? And there is actually some importance here in the great city of Minneapolis.

First, it’s the opening day of Ranked Choice Voting 2009, so be prepared for a lot of confused voters.

Second, Minneapolis is voting on whether or not to get rid of the Board of Estimate and Taxation, while also electing two new members. Obviously, most of the candidates are pressuring voters to keep the board of which they are running for. Shocking. Even the president of the Board is pushing to end it in her excellent opinion piece to the Star and Tribune. Well worth a read. There is a feeling that by eliminating this Board will lead to the elimination of the independent Minneapolis Park Board, but there is no evidence of this at all.

Third, a major US city is electing a new mayor, but you’d never know by the lack of quality candidates (no offense) or media attention. Not that I’m complaining. I’m a huge RT Rybak supporter and thrilled to have him in Minneapolis. RT could run for Governor next year, but I really hope he stays in the city.

Below you will find what is on my ballot in my neighborhood of Minneapolis, a few important links, and who I am voting for. Special thanks to Aaron who explained a lot of the races to me over a chat session this morning. Hopefully he will do a blog post this weekend with more info on the races. Please add information of any race going on in your neighborhood and thoughts on the election.

What’s on the Ballot?

Mayor
-R.T. Rybak (web)

Minneapolis City Council Ward 12
Star Tribune Questionnaire
-Sandy Colvin Roy (web)

Board of Estimate and Taxation (2 at large members)
Star Tribune Questionnaire
Editorial: If board stays: Wheeler, Martens
-David Wheeler (web)
-R. Michael Martens (Independent/Republican, but better than Becker or Townsend)

Park and Recreation Board (3 At-Large and 6 District Commissioners)
Star Tribune Questionnaire
Star Tribune Endorsements
John Erwin
Annie Young (fantastic activist)
Tom Nordyke

District 5
Jason Stone (web) – (super nice guy, very genuine)

Change the Composition of the Board of Estimate and Taxation
BET President urges voters to vote YES
Vote YES for Mpls
-YES

 

Twitter Digest on Tumblr?

So, I kinda want to display my twitter posts on my Tumblr page, but having each Twitter post as a separate entry is a little unnecessary. So I thought of doing a daily digest. What do you think? Please vote in the poll…

First Game at TCF Bank Stadium

I was never much of a football fan growing up, only occasionally watching the Vikings, and never really getting into college football. Had I gone to the U, I probably would have, but my only college football games were at Camp Randall in Madison. Games were a lot of fun, but the Gophers sucked every time we played there.

For some reason, I really started to get into college football a few years ago, mainly because of the hype of the new on campus stadium at the University of Minnesota. So a friend and I bought season tickets at the Dome so we’d be able to get them at the new stadium.

I quickly realized how shitty the dome was for college football. There was no excitement on game day and the place rarely sold out. Heck, they only filled the place when we played Wisconsin or Iowa, and most of the fans were from those schools. That’s just not acceptable for one of the largest colleges in the country, in a major US city, and one that has the history of college football that Minnesota has had.

If Saturday is any example of how college football days will be going forward, Gopher fans are in for a treat. Campus was electric. Maroon and Gold filled University Ave, Stadium Village, and Dinkytown. Frat houses had parties with alumni of all ages, and there was tailgating! Everything that is supposed to happen on game day.

The Game was exciting, and the Gophers won, but that was hardly the most important part of the day. College Football is back at the U, and hopefully this will mean a return to national importance. Like it or not, college football is a major money maker for Universities, and something the U has had missing for over 25 years.

Here are some pictures from the day…