A Comical Juxtaposition

I do not drive. This means I must get to work via bus or foot. Anyone who has lived or grown up in Minnesota knows that the sole prudent dress for such a scenario is only the over-layered, nearly immobile, snow-suit clad character as described in a Louie Anderson early stand-up.

As I walk the 20 minute trail to work, I enjoy that while I resemble a boy playing in snow, enjoying the crunch below his shoe, the white glaring him in the eye, and the cold and fresh aroma that snowfall exudes, I am walking to a world where I suggest prices for multi-million dollar contracts, supply price logic for nation-wide product launches, and manipulate data that someone with "VP" in his or her title will use to decide the company's future. It seems all too unfitting for a boy who starts the day imaging snowball fights.

Secretly (although not, as I publish this), I revel in my oddities. I'd like to think I consciously decide to defy a norm (usually due to factual data) and needn't be influenced by what "most people do."   For example, I would likely use a car once a week. Can I justify a $500/month expense for something I do 4 times each month? Is the convenience worth $125 once a week to drive to the mall?  How reasonable is this when a slightly-inconvenienced, yet direct, bus trip is only $1.75. While I am an oddity, I strive to believe that I'm just living, proceeding, by algebraic principles. Shouldn't all decisions be made similarly ;-).

Later Days,
Rick
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

A White Winterland; Week 4 in Mpls

With such an incredible snowfall in Minneapolis, I looked forward to seeing it from multiple views--here the blick off my workplace's 5th floor balcony.  

One asks, "how much snow did we get?" I answer with, "this much."

This is an undiscovered joy of my central location.  As my aunt Cheryl and uncle Brad were underway to the Gopher game, they found the time to swing by for pre-game cocktails and pesto chicken on rotini.

So much maroon and gold--it makes me so happy.  Plus, the Gophers were victorious!  Why wouldn't they be with Tubby at the helm?

12:12 on 12/12/12!  (Thank goodness there are not 14 months in the year--this is a reference likely only my immediate family will understand.)

The excitement of corporate life--our holiday calendar exchange!  Each person purchases a ridiculous calendar and we, at random, grab one that we must display for the subsequent 12 months.  My desk is now adorned with "Treehouses of the world."

 (My balded boss in back with the thick-rimmed glasses. Oh, Steve.  The contracts team actually dressed as him for Halloween.  He's a good guy.)

My sister came over Friday night with, what she described were "excess Christmas decorations."  My decorations are two sole strands of garland and four Gopher ornaments, and somehow she has too much for her house.  Either way, we decorated on Friday and got to hang the ornaments my mother gave me--one for each year.  It was great to be with family and decorate the tree, just as we had done for the past 25 years.

My Friday night company--what a beautiful gal!  This is also a college friend who, coincidentally, is my coworker.  We get along incredibly well and work only 6 feet from one another.  While this contributes positively to the work environment, it may have detrimental effects on productivity levels.

 Saturday morning started early with brunch at Manny's (with the college friend/Wing Wednesday crowd)

 Then it was off to the 8th floor holiday display at Macy's--a true Minneapolis tradition.

 Then we made Gluhwine (mulled wine) at my apartment.  It's seasoned, warm wine.  As I learned in Germany--NEVER boil your gluhwine.

 Then comes Holidazzle on Nicollet mall.  My sister and brother-in-law joined for their first ever Holidazzle (don't let them know it was my 3rd this year!)

 The night ended early (9 p.m.) with dinner downtown.  This crowd and I are such beer fans that we all reveled when receiving our bills, quoting, "wow! It's so cheap when you don't drink."

Sunday was some necessary Christmas shopping on Nicollet mall and then a neighbor's floor party to meet their neighbors.  I love my building.

Again, I am loving living downtown.  I get to see such great people and have so much fun.  Now it's off to bed for another week at the job!

Later days,

Rick

Wintry Festivities on the First Weekend of December

I am perpetually happier than the day before.
This week involved every morning looking like below.

 It's bound to be a good day when I get to enjoy this view from my sofa while sipping coffee and listening to NPR as I wake--stimulation and satisfaction for the five senses, comfy chair, coffee aroma and taste, beautiful view, riveting news coverage (Cathy Wurzer, I love you. Please help me get a copy of the Morning Edition theme song.)

Good news, I have chairs, meaning we're on for dinner parties.

With my hosting equipment in place, the event of the night was the "12 Bars of Christmas."  Comically, it took us until bar #5 to discover there are 15 listed.

As a troupe of five, we were highly mobile.  Unfortunately, we only made it to 7 bars as we were all too exhausted from full work weeks and full from a cheap beer at each.

 Well, bar food in between does also limit stomach capacity.

Then comes a (make-up) birthday. Della came downtown for wintry drinks while enjoying Holidazzle (don't tell her it's already my 2nd time this year.)

Then I insisted on Chinese and Western food. The plan was to make dumplings from scratch--the difficulty was the absence of a roller pin.  Target's cheapest retailed for $20, so we improvised discovering that a wine bottle works nearly as well!  Fortunately for me, I always have a wine bottle on hand ;-)

Make the filling, make the skins, then pack.  How do you know how much you're supposed to use?  (Note the large dollop on the spoon and the all-to-small skin.)

 It's a team effort because we make a lot.  (Hooray for leftovers now coming with me to work.)

 Add a simple pasta and we were carb-ed out.  Three hours of food preparation will add to the exhaustion.

 Eating...finally.

 Of course, we have to go out for a cocktail,

 or two.

The icing on the cake was the actual icing.  The city is now covered in a fluffy layer of snow.  It really is a great canvas--Della took the chance to write 乐, (le) meaning enjoyment or happiness.  I just thought acting it out would be simpler.

Then Sunday morning a beautiful festive greeting!  Snow!!

Here's to simply loving the twin cities this week.

Later Days,
Rick

The Road (actually) Taken

What have I actually been up to for the past months?  I've shared no tales of New York or any other location.

Let's begin with Thanksgiving.  It was celebrated Monday the 12th while my sister, the veterinarian, was home.  This left me in the city available for Target's Black Friday at 9 p.m.  I had a new apartment to furnish, so 50% off deals were my destination.

Living downtown meant the line for my Target was far shorter than average.

Yet, there were still many bustling about the store as soon as the doors opened.  However, my targeted items--pots, pans, and tupperware--were not as contended as the big-screen TVs.

My actual Black Friday was with a friend, Sijie, to see the Terracotta Soldiers at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.  It was free between 6 a.m.-7 a.m.  I'll wake up early for that!

That's right.  I said "Minneapolis" Institute of Arts, meaning I took a full-time job in Minnesota.  Here's the view from my apartment's 33rd story pool.

...and one of my favorite views of the city. This is a mere 6 blocks from my new home.  I've abandoned my car and moved downtown--only 1 mile from work, 5 blocks from the Guthrie Theater, 2 blocks from the Central Library, and 5 blocks from Hennepin Avenue restaurants and theater.

Being an old man in a young body, I, yep, actually signed up and went on a tour of the central library.

 ...found my library card from college and got a book!

Why the Change?
My thought for a place to live is that many factors must combine to exceed some level of quotient of happiness.  The thinking a month ago was that Minneapolis is a good city, so I want a great job to be happy.  I went to New York thinking NYC is a great city, so I just need a good job to be happy.  Then I realized that Minneapolis is a good city, but with great people!

One of my closest friends from China, Della, on the new rooftop to Union restaurant downtown.

Casey, my best cycling friend after enduring the library tour and trying foie gras at 112 Eatery downtown.

Paul, a former roommate and great friend showing off the Ecolab hand sanitizer at the entrance to the Gopher basketball game.  (Paul works at Ecolab, and their hand sanitizer is actually a competitor of a product my company makes.)

Lara, Paul, Amy, and me at the Gopher game as proud alums, trying to teach the current students what it means to be Gopher fans.

J Michael and me with real martinis in my real person apartment (gosh, I can't believe I'm a grown up.)

Grown-ups still can have fun martinis, right?  Here the cinna-itini, complete with crushed candy cane rimmed glass and an ugly Christmas sweater.

We took warm winter drinks to watch Holidazzle on Nicollet mall (only 2 blocks from my apartment.)

 

Jim and Danny after helping them move in and dining at Nightingale in Uptown.

 Ryan with the disgusting 15-year-old-girl expression "YOLO" (You Only Live Once.)  Ryan's new favorite expression.

 And Family.  My first real Thanksgiving since 2008--four years without Thanksgiving.

My Gopher-loving aunt and uncle, Cheryl and Brad, are but 30 minutes away, yet ever-present every chance there is for a Gopher event.

Plus celebrating a birthday--my sister Kim's.  Also haven't been around for a family member's birthday for three years.

With my sister, Katie, now living in the Twin Cities, I get to be a bad influence to her on a regular basis--here with Tequila at Barrio in St. Paul.

This is now my life.  I live in the best biking city in the country (screw you, Portland!)  Highest average credit score (Minnesotans are so trustworthy that after a year of the city-sponsored bike-rental program, not a single bike was stolen.) Fittest city in the US, the least stressed city in America, and the most literate in the country, meaning we're "too busy learning about stuff to be cool."

More specifically, I work here:

...at Coloplast, a Danish medical device manufacturer.

 I am now, Rick Lonneman "Commercial Excellence Analyst." This means half of my work is with strategic pricing and the other half is being an analyst on anything the President or Vice President wants done.

Then I live here!

 Living room.

 (bedroom: room needing the most renovation, but functional for now.  Note the Ikea-purchased picture above the bed. It's the great city, Minneapolis.  I'm happy to be home.)

My 14th story balcony view of the Mississippi river and the historic Stone Arch Bridge.

At night, the historic Hennepin avenue bridge.

Yep, I've chosen to stay in Minneapolis and I'm already loving it.  The job allows a great work-life balance allowing me to lead a calendar like this week where I have plans Tues, Wed, Thur, Fri, Sat, and Sun.  I'd rather be exhausted from living too much than well-rested having lived too little.

Later Days,
Rick