Sunday, May 1, 2011

Frigidity, Glad-Handing and Real Nostalgia

Originally Posted on January 30, 2008


You know, believe a native Minnesotan when they say it’s really cold out there.

Yesterday, it was cold. It was cold in the middle of last week, but not as cold as Tuesday night. We’re talking the coldest wind chill factors I’ve ever faced in my life. I never experienced a wind chill of -35F before. Now, that’s really cold.

This was felt en route from work to school via downtown Minneapolis Tuesday evening. It was certainly felt coming home from school. In fact, our class was cut short because it was -8F outside with a wind chill of possibly -26F. Luckily, we are glad he was concerned for all of us, despite that insipid midterm exam. Yet, we opted out of our presentations that evening. Damn, I was so prepared!

This morning, I took no chances and called a cab. It was truly worth the cab fare to keep myself from that cold. My supervisor showed me how he braved the cold: Wool socks and a thermal coating, along with a vintage tweed jacket and a wool overcoat covering it all. He assured me that this was it for these kinds of temps for this year. I hope so. If he had to dress like this, it was really cold.


There’s something else that was really cold: The fact that the Super Tuesday madness has hit this state hard. There’s word that Barack Obama will hold a rally at the Target Center Saturday afternoon. Not sure where Hillary or Bill will be. Sadly, John and Elizabeth dropped out of the race. Is there anyone left on the DFL side? I’m sure Al Franken, Mike Ciresi and other hopefuls to unseat Senator Norm Coleman will be out and about as well.

Oddly enough, Super Tuesday falls on my 44th Birthday. So does a session of my class at St. Mary’s (MN). Unfortunately, I will not be able to participate in my precinct’s caucus in Golden Valley. So much for democratic education!

In Minnesota, the political parties caucus instead of facing a vote in a primary. A change from the previous states I was registered to vote. Well…I actually voted in the 2000 Republican Primary in Virginia as a ploy by the state’s Democrats to stem the nomination of George W. Bush and vote for John McCain instead. That was a dumb idea and I will never do such a thing again! Look what happened in the end?!? Besides, that precluded me from attending the Democratic caucuses in Virginia that year.

Later in August, Bush, McCain and the rest of the GOP will convene at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. I remember my first convention...1996. We convened at The Center San Diego in Hillcrest, and then reconvened at Horton Plaza to march down into the “Free Speech Area” on the other side of the San Diego Convention Center. It was more of a cage instead a rallying point as it was blocked out by a tall chain-link fence.

Why was I involved in this thing, you ask? We were protesting for GLBT rights! The conventioneers across the street at the Convention Center were moments away of sending Bob Dole to face the sitting President of the time…Hillary’s husband.

Politics aside, I took care of my TwinsFest fix last weekend. The advantage of going early on a Saturday is the lack of a line to getting tickets. The last couple of times, I was in a snaking line that lasted an eternity. Not this time. I walked up, and then got served. I walked away with a single seat for an early series against the Kansas City Royals. I also left the Metrodome with memento of The Heirloom’s deep history: An autographed photo of Bob Feller pitching in the 1948 World Series…signed by ol’ Bob himself on the spot!

Now…to put said photo on the wall! It’ll go with the autographed photo of Carl Eller of the Purple People Eaters. Or, I could put them in a box and wait until I get an office space in my new career to put them up in. Imagine the scenario: “Oh, Randy, yes I love the concept of the speaker series and we’ll have to see if we have money in the budget for that…say, who’s that in the black-and-white photo on your desk?” 


“And, who’s Bob Feller?” 

Did I mention that the temps will drop to -7F tonight?

1 comment:

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    showmegrizz on LiveJournal wrote: Was -54 here…Blech!

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