I’m not quite sure how this is happening, but this might just be the slowest day ever. Maybe it’s because the current is suddenly quite boring – oh wait I think I hear some zydeco! Play that accordion!

In other news…
***Atmosphere comes back home again tomorrow. My little brother will be going to Of Montreal at the Triple Rock instead (probably a wise pick especially since I haven’t seen them yet and I’m really not sure anymore how many times I’ve seen Atmosphere) He is going alone however due to unforeseen circumstances of friends and lovers. So if you see a tall good looking guy who is digging the music, but maybe looking a little forlorn, be nice to him… hey maybe even buy him a drink.
***For theatre lovers or Francophiles The Little Prince is currently playing at the Jeune Leune. I was fortunate to attend a performance last weekend. I hadn't been to a play in quite a while so this was a rare treat for me and it reminded me of why I used to be in theatre and used to attend so often. The performance was beautiful and understated much like the performance space. I almost cried a little bit at the end as well, but then noticed that no one else was so like a good Midwesterner stuffed those tears back inside.
***Oh and I almost forgot! European superstore H&M is finally coming to Minnesota! Unfortunately this means that I’ll have to start going back to the big ol’ugly Mall O’America (no I’m still not going back to IKEA the place makes me nauseous and ugly mean). It also means that I’ll have cute clothes again and can diversify my current hand me downs/Old Navy wardrobe a bit.

Felicitations

It’s the big day. I’ve been alive for twenty five years today. No, I didn’t take the day off work. Yes, I’m working. Yes, I’m not working as hard as usual. Yes I did make a ton of cupcakes (white with party sprinkles, and special dark chocolate, both with regular chocolate frosting). Last night I helped do some initial cleaning/picking up while baking cupcakes at Steve’s. Tonight I’ll be making/devouring fresh spring rolls with a couple of friends. My first birthday phone call came at 7:20 this morning (yes my alarm clock had been going off since 6:30, no, I was not awake). Joe was just heading to bed and calling in his birthday greetings. My parent’s card arrived in the mail yesterday with some intriguing hints about a birthday gift that might need adjustment. I have to wait til I go home next. Which I suppose is only fair. I’m kind of floaty and in a general good mood. I’m also totally pmsy. Which has kind of become a birthday tradition for me I guess.

I am an invitation. Do not delete me.

A Night at the Hip Hopera:
The 25th Annual Celebration of the Existence of Sugartastic Christine Shizzle

The Dress Code Must be Respected!: It’s all about the Benjamins, baby. Whether you’re bling’d out ala Nelly, Eve, or Jay-Z, straight thuggin’ like my man Snoop or Dre, a b-boy, b-girl, skater, tagger or my personal favorite the backpack hip hopper -- its you, your (wo)man, your (wo)man’s (wo)man, your cousin (you get the picture) starring in the greatest birthday bash since P Diddy‘s 29th.

Can I get a What What?: The greatest party mix of all time… special appearances by Snoop Dogg, Erykah Badu, Run DMC, BlackStreet, Atmosphere, Salt -N- Peppa, Eyedea, Dr. Dre, The Fugees, The Coup, Prince Paul and of course, the Wu-Tang Clan. Be prepared for a night of dancing, schmoozing, and general hip hop rowdiness.

BRING IT!: Gin and juice, 40s, Courvoisier, Cristal, brownies for the birthday girl, your peeps, their peeps…

Where: Mr. White Chocolate Ashcroft Shmoove & Mr. Diamondtrim Nicholls’s crib, 2125 Harriet Avenue Southside #1 (Click here for directions.)

When: Friday, April 22nd, 9 until Shmoove kicks us out

P.S. Do not disturb the sexy.

Every winter I wait for spring, the anticipation growing with every impending temperature drop and snow emergency. I wait for the warm breeze, the mud and the smell of the earth opening up once more. Despite all this anticipation I forget how wonderful it really is. Every February we get a day of false hope, people wandering around in short sleeved shirts, only the next day to be bundling up against the cold that had not gone. Every March it edges closer until finally the warming is more than just a fluke. The warm wind whips around the winter sediment only to be turned to mud and returned to the earth by a chilly rain the next day. This is not to say that it won’t snow in April, but by that time the snow will be the fluke and will melt the next day, leaving us with greening grass and the slow budding of flowers.

A couple weekends ago it was remarked to me how the weekends just seemed to be getting better as well. It was the right mix of people in the same old place at the same old time, but it just was so much better. The weekend before last was no exception. Minneapolis is the best place to be in spring, but only if you were here to survive the winter. Minnesota, being a northern state, has always prided itself on the survivor mentality. People ask why we stay, for some of us it’s because our family is here, what we know is here. We leave, for various reasons, but most find their way back. The weekends are not the only things that are better. We actually want to leave our tiny apartments again, we sit and eat dinner on the porch swing; we say hello to neighbors on the street. Everyone is bursting to be out and about and so we do.

Welcome back.