Wanna be like Mike

You know that Dos Equis guy? The one that has labeled himself "The most interesting person in the world"? Apparently, that man has never met Mike Boo.
We all have that friend. The one who always is in the thick of things. The type of person who starts a story out with "It was a random Wednesday, and I decided to buy a sailboat". That guy for me is Mike Boo. I sometimes forget how much cooler Minneapolis was when Mike lived here. He moved out to San Francisco a few years ago. And yep, you guessed it, it was a spur of the moment kind of thing. I talked to the guy on a Saturday, and he was like "Swing by my going away party this Friday. I'm leaving for San Francisco on Monday".
But that's how life was like with Mike. I have to admit, he is probably the leading contributing factor to my incisive randomness.
If someone was like "Yo Jon. Which one of your friends will end up working at a top notch brewery in San Francisco and will be dope on the bike"? I would have to say Mike.
Mike also introduced me to fixed gears. All it took was a full day ride around San Francisco, and I was hooked. I doubt I could ever go back. Wow, that last sentence made me sound like some kind of hipster.
But when Mike does come back to Minneapolis, it's like no time passed at all. Sure, we've grown up a little bit, but there's a part of me that always wants to go jump into a train yard or abandoned building.
I really do love the picture here. It was taken in high school. For a while, this picture was pasted all over Minneapolis. I couldn't walk around Powderhorn without seeing this picture on a garbage can or stop sign. Rumor has it, there's still a few floating around....

What is up North?

If you live in Minnesota, you've heard the term "Up North" more than a few times throughout your life. But what exactly is "Up North"? Most people would characterize is as any place more than a half hour north of Minneapolis. And to some extent, they would be correct.
But for me, it's something different. While yes, technically, it is north of where I am now, it's more about a sense of place. A place where most of my daily cares don't exist. A place where that inner caveman can sort of thrive. There's something innately naturalistic to catch your dinner, fry it on the shore, and eat it. And P.S., I would die as a caveman. Yes I can catch the fish, but when it comes to pulling and cutting out bones, I'm horrible. I'm worse than a color blind kid trying to solve a rubics cube. I can't tell you how many fish bones I get stuck in my teeth. But that's another story.
Every time I go up north, time moves so much slower. So much more relaxed. The wind carries different sounds and smells, and sometimes I get lost in it all. Reading a book on my couch is a much shorter hour than reading on a dock. I got through two books this past weekend. I can't recall the last time I've done that. It felt really good.
Could I ever live up north all year, or camp in the wilderness for more than a month? Probably not. But I'd be lying if I said I never wanted to try. If I had an escape route, I would love to go hang out in the Rockies for a month. Just to see if I could. Speaking of that, I think I'll go biking through the mountains next month. Just to see if I can.
As I write this, It's really just a distraction from going to the gym. I know I need to go, but I'm not looking forward to spending the next hour and a half wearing out my shoulders.....
So with that all said, happy Memorial day.

 

That Straight Cray

I couldn't find an image that best represented cray. I mostly came up with cray fish, and cray fish ain't cray. I'm just sayin'....

I really forgot how good old school Dr. Dre was. I was walking through the skyway today and heard someone blasting Nuthin' But A G Thang. What a good song. I really have nothing of relevance to say beyond that. But hot diggity, I love me some D-R-E. 

That New Blog Smell

Do you smell that? Do you? It's that new blog smell. I love it. It's so fresh and new. It's like a mix between peppermint, lavender, coffee and mint.

Anywho, welcome to the new blog. Here, you'll find all kinds of randomness. From my late night shenanigans, to Minnesota sports, to fitness, to my crazy obsession with The Wire and cheese fries (and yes, sometimes together).

Why a new blog do you ask? Mostly because I've grown up (at least on the outside). As I was reflecting on my previous blog, it went 5 strong years. I loved it. It had all kinds of awesome stories about my life. The downside? People I actually respect started reading it. Those created awkward moments when interacting with them at a social setting. Getting asked about late nights in train yards by your mentor is not a good look. So I thought I could tailor this blog to a more normalized audience.

So a little bit about me: I love to blog, write and read. If you subscribe to this, be warned. Actually, the free time to blog isn't always there, so I try to post something weekly. I love to be active. Sometimes that means running around Minneapolis, or climbing rocks, or in some instances, climbing bridges over the river. I love to eat new food and drink red wine. I have an odd obsession with The Wire. I love rap music. I love any reference to late 80's/early 90's pop culture (being an 80's baby myself). But the most important thing is that I'm completely random. Post 5 might be about ninja turtles and post 11 might be about me being chased by a hobo. There is no rhyme nor reason to my stream of conciseness.

With that, I leave you to the rest of your day. Thanks for spending those last 2 minutes with me.