Breakin' it down MSP style

So this weekend Minneapolis has their Mosaic street fair, cultural event downtown. It was a free event, so Mark and I decided to check it out after a day of neighbourhood shopping. We weren't too sure what to expect as we approached... but it was a pretty decent time. We got there just as it was starting, so there wasn't too much going on. We got some food from the local vendors set up. They had a few restaurants or something set up and you could get Mexican, African, Chinese and some other types of food. So we sampled a few things and listened to/watched a local drumline/dance team perform. They were pretty good, very entertaining.

After the drums, we moved along to check out the St. Paul Irish Dancers. I am not a huge Irish Dancer fan... well, I've never seen it too much, so I wasn't overly excited. It was a group of young kids and a few teenagers, and they were really good!! There was this one little girl, the crowd absolutely loved her! She was so little, and she couldn't have been more then 7 or 8, she was so much fun to watch! She is the littlest girl in the picture to the left. So cute!! And al the girls had their hair curled so when the danced and jumped their curls went up a foot or two in the air!! Must have taken forever to curl their hair like that!

Alright, so after drumlines and Irish dancing... what comes next? Hip Hop obviously!! We made our way over to the theatre with the Hip Hop "exhibit"... what would we find there? There was a group of 6 people, probably in their mid 20's, and they broke down the history of hip hop for the crowd, did some examples of 4 styles of hip hop, and then did a routine they put together. I think the funniest thing was the audience make-up. There were some families with kids, some younger couples (Mark and I), and some 20 somethings... but there were also some much older people in the crowd. At one point the girl doing the history part asked if everyone knew what something was (I can't remember, but most people would have at least heard of it) but there was an older couple (60's maybe) sitting in front of us, and they leaned over to each other and both said "what? what is that?", it was funny. Everyone had a good time though and the dancers did some pretty sweet moves. (the picture to the right isn't the group we saw, but one guuy did do this move!) The whole time we were there I kept thinking of Suzanne and Melissa, and how they would have loved this and would have probably been dancing along!! It was hard to get pictures because we were a few rows back, but I got some video of them... but apparently I don't know how to upload that to this website, so I can't share it with everyone!! It was a fun night though. We actually ran into someone we know from our ward here too... very strange since we have only been to the ward a few times and what are the odds?? We are looking forward to discovering the other fun, free, city events they have going on in the summer here... there seems to be a lot! Should be a fun summer!

Obsession of the Week

If you happen upon this item while grocery shopping, I highly suggest you give in to the temptation and buy it. You will not be disappointed... you will be upset that it took you this long to discover them, but you won't know how you lived without it!
I never saw these at Costco in Queens, but here in Minneapolis I stumbled upon them. I don't even like dark chocolate, but when I saw these, I had to have them. I LOVE Pomegranates, so I decided to overlook the dark chocolate... and I am so glad!! This is probably the BEST ice cream bar I have ever had in my entire life. So if you see them, give them a try and tell me how much you love them too!!

Until Next Year...

Another year come and gone.

And this year it goes to a team named after a Disney movie. Granted they aren't the same guys who played on the team in the movie... but who names a professional sports team after a Disney movie? Ottawa fought hard, and it would have been great to see them take home the cup, but it wasn't their year I guess. Anaheim outplayed and outscored them, so it's only fair they get to take home the big prize. It's a great reward for a great hockey player - Selanne congratulations, Winnipeg was rooting for you (even if they were cheering for Ottawa!).

Ottawa you fought the good fight, we'll be behind you next season! Enjoy the Cup Anaheim, it's coming home next year!

Daily Ponderances

As I lay on the couch listening to the ladies of the view battle it out over some inane "hot topic" two questions came into my mind.

Number 1:

What ever happened to PopUp Video? I was going through the online TV guide and noticed that Vh1 Classics seems to be running every episode of PUV ever made. Why did they stop making it? No matter what the video was, as soon as those little bubbles with random information popped up, I was hooked. The most memorable PopUp tidbit I recall was from a Celine Dion video (I can't remember which one - it was a slow song, not that that will help) and she was running down a hallway in a long flow-y nightgown-esque number. Anyway the bubble popped up and said something about the fastest Canadian woman's time for some race (since Celine is Canadian) and then it popped up with Celine's time (I imagine they made it up) but I laughed. There are so many cheesy and awesomely bad videos out these days, that you would think PopUp Video would be busier than ever!! But they stopped making them a year or so after the show started I think. We should start a petition to bring it back!!

Number 2:

Who is the whack job that created those ridiculously, absurd Pepto Bismol commercials?? First they started with regular office folk doing little dances holding the appropriate part of their body to go along with the song... and now they have larger than life robots, monsters and Greek mythological ladies doing the dance? Really? Do we need to see bodily orifices covered up so that we know Pepto helps with diarrhea? The first time I ever saw one of these ads I thought it was a joke or a parady for something, but NO! it was the real commercial! I try to imagine that brain storming session at the PB offices:

VP 1:"So, we need a new ad campaign - PB doesn't seem to be selling as well as it could be. Any ideas?"

VP 2: "What if we remind people of all the uses PB has? That it's not just for upset stomachs?"

VP 1: "You mean people don't know they can use it for heartburn, naseau, indigestion and diarrhea too? We need to inform the public!"

VP 2: "What if we did a commerical like this?" (that's for you Suzanne!)

VP 1: " Perfect! Not only do we get the message out about our product, but we might even reach a new demographic! We should also do ads like this."

VP 2: "Perfect. Everyone will remember us now! Great work team!!"

Ok, so that's probably not what happened, and more because my brain is turning to mush, but still... if I was an ad exec, I don't think I would give the "ok" to these ads!! Is it just me?

I guess they thought this wouldn't cut it anymore.

souliers, zapatos, schuhe, scarpe, schoenen, sapatos, ботинки, sko, 鞋, 靴, SHOES!

No matter how you say it.... it brings a smile to my face!
I feel it is time I put a subject that I am notoriously taunted for to rest; My shoes. I will admit it I. Like. Shoes. No matter how you are feeling, shoes always make you feel better, such as the ones to the right (thank you Mark - only the best husband EVER buys you shoes like this for your birthday, right??). If I am out shopping for clothes, and can't find what I like, or can't afford it, or it doesn't fit.... I can turn to shoes, and no matter how I feel about myself/body/image... shoes will not let me down! It is an easy way to spice up an outfit, add some colour, update a piece and just make you feel good. Today I bought my latest pair of shoes, and they are fabulous. I tried them on when I was in Texas, but alas they did not have my size in the colour I wanted. I decided I would wait until we moved and I would get them out here, but after calling today, the stores did not have them in, so I ordered them online (shoes are to the left).

Also, MN has no tax on clothing or shoes of ANY price! Beat that Manhattan $110 limit! So I decided since I had just unpacked and put all of my shoes in their shoe rack (and storage box) that I would count how many shoes I actually own and put these rumours to rest! I know some people will still think I have a ton of shoes, but knowing the friends I have (Dawnell I point my finger at you) I don't have THAT many shoes!! My grand total comes to (drumroll please) .... 37 pairs. That includes flip flops, boots, sandals... everything except slippers (it would be 43 with slippers). So... I want to know how many pairs of shoes YOU have. I am willing to bet, I am on the low end of shoe ownership.