A is for apple

In honor of the first day of school for all my teacher friends, I'd like to comment on a Strib story about the new Shakopee High School. After several paragraphs describing how the new school design will better serve students and community members, the article reads:

Although mostly pleased with the way the school turned out, Tomczik noted that you can't always get everything you want. Teachers' lounges, for instance, are small and unappealing. And because of the small learning pods, there are no centralized departments for specific subjects.

In short, the new design fails to recognize that a school is also a workplace. Now I know it's all about the kids, but research shows good teaching is the second most important factor in student achievement after the kids' own families and experiences. And I would hazard a guess that happy teachers are better teachers. So I'm just saying I'd probably try to accommodate their needs a weensy bit.

(It is quite possible the Shakopee design does provide some nice features for teachers that were not covered in this article. If so, I apologize to Shakopee for using it as an example of a wider problem.)

Bus Tales

At Anne's suggestion, I submitted a story to a relatively new website called Bus Tales. In the vein of Overheard in Minneapolis, it's a place where people can post about experiences they've had on Metro Transit buses.

Most of you have heard this story before, but if you want to see it up in lights, you can check it out: Do You Know Her? It's worth it just to see how great the labels are for my post.

I submitted another story and have a few more planned, so stay tuned.

W(t)F

As most of you know, I loathe Wells Fargo. I bank there, because it's the only one that allows me to do all my transactions at SuperAmerica ATMs. Other than this unbeatable convenience, WF is evil. They have caused me all manner of problems--too numerous to count, really. Raising the minimum balance without notice then charging ridiculous fees, having an annoying computer call to verify charges every time I buy a plane ticket and blocking the transaction altogether if I buy from nwa.com, plus all the horrors of the phone bank. I realize it's my own damn fault for not changing banks, but I want to complain anyway.

Oh, and to top it off they're pretty much the number one predatory lender in America. (Plus they're snapping up yummy subprime mortgages at low rates as the less successful subprime lenders go under.)

But this is my favorite. Today I got a letter saying they have put a recent deposit on hold because: (1) doubt as to whether the check will be paid by the institution on which it is drawn, (2) length of time the account has been open, or (3) frequency of overdrafts or returned checks on the account. Yeah, so this check is drawn on the State of Minnesota (I can personally vouch for the fact that MN is good for it), deposited to a savings account opened in the early 90's, from which there have been (by dint of being a savings account) a total of zero overdrafts and returned checks.

Good work, team.

Thank you, Al Gore!

Who doesn't love a little time-wasting on the internet? In honor of a completely useless evening of television, junk food, and internet surfing, I bring you links from websites I have recently discovered.

Urban Dictionary
A very handy slang wiktionary. Harkens back to my nerdy linguistics major friends talking about whether dictionaries would move toward a more organic view of new word development. I'd say that ship has sailed, no?

Twin Cities Green Guide
Just like it sounds--help being more green. So your liberal alma mater doesn't disown you.

Food Network
Paul will laugh if he sees this on here because I never cook. But I am infatuated with this website. Whoever designed it should win an award. It is perfectly designed to answer the overwhelmingly broad question, "what should I make?" by giving you a million different ways to wander your way to a recipe.

Vacation in MSP

Paul and I needed some quality time together but didn't want the hassle of leaving town. So taking a tip from friends Britta and Matt, we vacationed in good ol' MSP. Many forces conspired against us--rainy weather, rampant road closures, and even a funeral--but we still managed to enjoy a nice vacation.

Friday we had dinner at the duplex. I'm pretty sure it used to be the coffee shop Pandora's Box. They make an f'ing good pork loin and the mixed green salad was excellent. Even a state senator sighting couldn't ruin the ambiance.

photo courtesy of theduplex

Saturday we toured the James J. Hill House in St. Paul. Mr. Hill had $63 million when he died in 1916 so you can imagine how amazing his house is. Highlights: an absolutely beautiful organ, gorgeous carved wood on about every surface, some seriously fine Tiffany productions, and lots of early 19th century gadgetry.

photo courtesy of MN Historical Society

Sunday we saw the Picasso and American Art exhibit at the Walker. When you go, because you must--even the Walker doesn't get shows like this every day--I recommend the free iPod audio guide instead of the tour.

photo courtesy of Wet Paint

That certain je ne sais quoi

I thought this commentary about the Minnesotan response to the bridge disaster was really well done. Starting with a quote from The Abyss, how could you go wrong?

Seriously, though, I don't think we're as idyllic as all that, but there is something indescribable about this place and its inhabitants. People try--and frequently fail--to capture it properly. I think this commentary comes closer than most to getting it right.

Photo courtesy of Letterboxing Minnesota

Follower

First my grandmother beat me to the internet--the first time I googled myself there was nary a mention of me, but there was a full color article in the Wheaton College, Mass, online newsletter about my grandmother.

Then my mother beat me to the op-ed page. I have written letter after letter to the editor, but nary a one has made the paper. Mom had a letter published in the Charleston Post and Courier last week. (They butchered her letter, as is normally the case with letters to the editor, but it's still pretty cool. Plus she's totally right--you would be aghast at the lack of infrastructure in her county.)

I have now made it to the internet, but still yearn for the day one of my highly intelligent and very timely letters will make it into the Strib.