Saint Paul in Fog

December 2, 2014

A recent warm-up brought some pretty dramatic fog to downtown St. Paul.

Fog flowing over the Mississippi River, by the High Bridge.

A view of St. Paul in fog, with a shot of the Cathedral.

Downtown St. Paul, Minnesota in fog.

The temperatures still climb above 20 degrees at least once a week. Anything above 15 degrees means that it is warm enough for a long walk with Hugo. I’m cherishing these walks while we can still make them.

Things don’t look good for this winter.

Last winter was the 9th coldest on record for the state, and we missed the global warming train:

And yet I live here on purpose…

The cold is less relevant this year.

I discovered that there is an express bus that takes me directly from downtown St. Paul to Thomson Reuters campus in the suburbs.

The cold is less bothersome now that I no longer have to sit in a frozen car twice a day. There is something strange about spending 95% of my time indoors. I hear that this is only surpassed by hoarders and the people who work in the Minneapolis skyway.

2014 Winter / Dallas / Instagram / Minneapolis-St. Paul / pictures / Thomson Reuters

Waking up in Dallas

November 17, 2014

A massive snow storm pelted the metro area, which made me extremely grateful for the timing of my work trip to Texas.
I have never given Dallas much thought, so I was surprised by how massive and beautiful the city is.

We spent most of our time in Downtown Dallas and Uptown Dallas, which is where my client’s office is located.

My cab driver called Uptown Dallas the home of “$30,000 millionaires” – implying that it is full of young people who live beyond their means.

Ironically, this description would work quite well for Minneapolis’ Uptown neighborhood as well. I also visited Oak Lawn, the metroplex’s gayborhood. I managed to find busy bars and a drag show despite it being a Tuesday.

Traveling for work is a strange experience.

There’s the excitement of a new city and actually working with my clients in person. There’s also the crush of emails and awkwardness of managing conference calls via cellphone.

The rest of the work week flew by, which is typical for me. I’ve been in my new job for about four months now, and (I think) I’ve gained a baseline level of competence.

Each promotion I receive seems to involve less formal training and more “figuring shit out,” which I think law school prepared me well for.

My prior positions involved a lot of remote working, whereas now I’m in the office from 6 or 7 a.m. to around 4 or 5 p.m. The volume and variety of work means that I’m never bored, and even a 10 or 11 hour day feels way too short.
The speed of which my weeks go by presents interesting challenges however – it’s easy to fly through an entire week without working out or going to the grocery store.
My challenge this week is figuring out what processes and routines I need to put in place so I don’t become thoroughly decrepit in 4 more months.

Perhaps keeping my waistline in check is as important as maintaining my inbox.

2014 Fall / blog theory

The Giant Cleanup

November 5, 2014

My little archive dusting project took longer than I expected.

Turns out I’ve amassed a little over 2,100 entries over the past 10 years.

This coincidentally works out to about a year of full-time work.

Slogging through the entries was an interesting, yet depressing undertaking – a parade of old aspirations, failures, exes – it was also a testament to the power of journaling.
Memories are fallible, so I’m grateful for my little digital scrapbook, even if it is not always flattering.
These types of cleaning projects are necessary every few years because links break and upgrading a WordPress theme tends to badly malformat old posts.

I won’t get into geeky things like landing page quality scores, but that’s a factor too.

I am also aware that soon-to-be law students navigate this site very differently than most readers.

Many of law students start from my senior year of college and work their way forward. Now that’s a little easier to do because I’ve fixed most of the egregious formatting problems.

Cleaning up the archives also means that I’m ready to ramp up the new posts – and I have a lot to share!

Thanks for sticking around.

2014 Fall / Minneapolis-St. Paul

Violence

October 20, 2014

A brawl broke out at bingo.

Mitchell and I are at Aliveness Project Bingo when a woman stumbles across the Townhouse Bar and demands a chair from our table. She drops the chair once and then picks it up only to trip and faceplant in front of the bingo caller.

Gay bars are pretty tolerant of over-served patrons, but falling in such a loud manner is guaranteed to get you kicked out of any place.

The bingo coverall game starts and I see fists flying out of the corner of my eye.
The barback and several patrons attempt to push the drunk woman out of the door. She starts kicking people in the face, and a second woman (who we later find out is her mom) starts wailing on people too.

Bingo eventually stops and we whip out our cellphones are record the fight.

Shooting season

There have been a lot of brawls and shootings at Minneapolis bars recently, but not every place gets stigmatized by random acts of violence.

Places like Augies and the Gay 90’s get characterized as dangerous, whereas no one says that about the 19 Bar, Saloon, or the Eagle.

Shootings at the mostly white bars are viewed as random acts of violence, whereas the same types of incidents can confirm people’s suspicions that minorities are inherently violent.
There are some bars that are truly dangerous, but they eventually lose their liquor license or otherwise shut down.
Statistically, downtown Minneapolis is by far the most dangerous part of the city (PDF) and it’s unfair to characterize a business based on one-off acts of violence or what happens on the sidewalk outside.

Going out at night always involves some level of risk, whether it’s a nutcase with a gun, the sketchy guy you take home, or a mother and daughter Kung fu fighting at bingo.

Just Sayin / Life / memories / Minneapolis-St. Paul

Adonis in Minnesota

October 14, 2014

I once had a friend, Jack, who I dreaded going out with.

Jack chose his “friends” primarily based on looks, so we’d inevitably end up in a large group of guys who were as bored with themselves as they were with each other.

One day we ended up at a large table at Lush with about 10 of his “friends.” The “workout routine conversation” was exhausted the night before and we weren’t allowed to talk about school or work because half of the table was under-employed.

So the group was dead silent as everyone browsed the Grindr profiles of the guys next to them.

It was sad, and awkward.

I excused myself to the restroom, where I ran into my friend Jill.

Jill: “You’re at quite the A-list table today. They are all so pretty!”
Me: “Being on the A-list is pretty fucking miserable then.”

blog theory / unsolicited advice

The Perpetual Redesigner

October 13, 2014

I first started creating websites in sixth grade.

I got Photoshop from a friend and taught myself HTML within a few months of receiving my clunky new Gateway computer.

A small clique of emerging teen graphic designers / web developers took me in. We treated websites more like temporary art installations and compulsively redesigned our work.

The primary focus was on intricate collage-like designs, with no attention paid to utility or loading time. Clout was measured by your appearance on link lists and guestbook entries. Feedback was given in AIM group chats.

Then came Diaryland, Livejournal, Myspace, and eventually, Facebook.
Suddenly, everyone was online. We were no longer cool or special, and the makeshift art collective dispersed.
There are more content creators than ever on the web – even my most technologically inept friends are on Facebook and Instagram – but there are still relatively few people creating meaningful long-format work.

That’s why bloggers like Frank Chimero and Jakey Emmert are important.

That’s why I’m still around as well.

I fell victim to my old neurotic perfectionist tendencies lately.

Instead of writing, I wasted hours wringing my hands over blog aesthetics.

If I’m going to spend time writing, my blog has to look good, right?

Worries of widgets, UX, and mobile compatibility became more important than new entries.

I snapped out of it while reading Liz Danzico’s interview on The Great Discontent. She has a great bit of advice on learning to communicate effectively:

“Also, we live in an age of sound bites, and there is something about learning how to speak effectively and in small ways that is important. Say big things in small ways. Twitter has helped hone that a bit; it’s important not just in writing, but in communication of all kinds. That is not to say that long-form writing isn’t important, but if I were to give advice to my younger self, I would say that it’s important to learn to communicate succinctly.”

Danzico’s advice made me realize that all of this fretting about blog aesthetics was unnecessary and getting in the way of succinct communication.

Perpetual redesigns are fine when your website is an art project, but this is a blog, and the primary value proposition here is the content, not the appearance. (And frankly, some of my favorite blogs are simple, cluttered, or even ugly.)

Focus and brevity have simplified my work life.

I’m implementing this “cut the bullshit” approach in my professional life as well. Now my work emails, conference calls, and meeting agendas are dramatically shorter.

Apparently life is far easier when you stop obsessing over extraneous details and get to the point.

Who knew?

2014 Summer / Architecture / Life / Lowertown / Minneapolis-St. Paul / pictures

A year in St. Paul

September 30, 2014

I’ve lived in downtown St. Paul for over a year now.

Things in my second year look dramatically different – I have a boyfriend, a new dog, and a promotion at work – the Lowertown life is great.

: The building that houses the Bedlam Theater and the CoCo Coworking Space. It’s right across the street from the Green Line station and is constantly vibrating with loud rock music from practicing bands.

: Immediately inside the Union Depot train station in Lowertown, Saint Paul.

: Mitchell at Hunan Garden on a Saturday night. They are drinking a Volcano Drink, which is mostly pineapple juice and rail vodka.

: This is the only historic building of the Galtier Towers / Cray Plaza block. It’s gorgeous and appears to house mostly professional firms like law offices.

: The mural in front of the abandoned Station 4 Club in Lowertown, St. Paul. It was a heavy metal club that closed around 2013.

: The sign of the Bedlam Theater in Lowertown. It’s a bar/restaurant that hosts a different event almost every night.

I also discovered that there is an express bus that is actually quicker than driving to the office, so I rarely use my gas guzzler anymore.

I couldn’t have fathomed bus commuting to work even one year ago.

The faux-car-less life is amazing.

It is going to be even better during winter because 1) driving in the suburbs with snow is terrifying, and 2) the office campus is so huge that the walk to the front of the building can take 15 minutes, which is brutal in -20 degrees.

Plus, the bus pass is only $85 for 31 days. (Way cheaper than gas.)

I’m also able to buy new passes at the office, which is insanely convenient. I’m smitten.

The Scenery

Transportation aside, I love living on Mears Park, the Farmers’ Market, the restaurant options, the Cathedral, and all of the gorgeous architecture:

A shot of downtown St. Paul overlooking the ghetto Walgreens and Bruegger’s Bagels. It’s a beautiful area but usually crawling with creeps.

The Green Line station in front of the Union Depot in downtown St. Paul. It is in front of the Bedlam Theater and the CoCo Coworking Space.

The Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul. It’s run by Minnesota Public Radio and hosts shows like A Prairie Home Companion.

Winter is also more bearable in St. Paul.

Thankfully, I’m far more active in St. Paul during the winter than I used to live in Minneapolis, even without having to rely on a car.

Last time I was in Miami, it was February and miserably cold in Minnesota. I realized that I spent minimal time outside because being outside felt extremely weird.

The Galtier Towers and Mears Park in downtown St. Paul during winter.

The Saint Paul skyway system seems more comprehensive than the one across the river.

It’s also open until 2 a.m., which is highly convenient for wintertime bar hopping if you don’t piss off the cops.

We are in downtown St. Paul for at least another year, and then may try something else. But for now it’s a great life choice.

: The skyline of St. Paul, Minnesota. I’ve lived in the Lowertown Historic District for a year now, and I love it.

: The skyline of St. Paul, Minnesota from Harriet Island Park. Kellogg Square Apartments and First National Bank visible.

: The skyline of St. Paul, Minnesota. I’ve lived in the Lowertown Historic District for a year now, and I love it.

: The skyline of St. Paul, Minnesota from Harriet Island Park. Kellogg Square Apartments and First National Bank visible.

: The skyline of St. Paul, Minnesota from Harriet Island Park. Kellogg Square Apartments and First National Bank visible.

dogs / pictures / the details

The Reluctant Walker

September 24, 2014

I have to coax Gunter out of bed in the mornings.

It’s exhausting. He wouldn’t be so reluctant to go outside if I still put him in a kennel – then shitting in the closet wouldn’t be an option.

Gunter is a Chihuahua Dachshund mix that is extremely lazy.

2014 Summer / Lowertown / pictures / Take Three

The First Bank Building

September 23, 2014

The First Bank skyscraper is one of those building that I wish was a condo.

It’s a few blocks from my house, and one of those buildings that has an inordinate presence on my Instagram account.

A picture of the neon sign atop the First National Bank Building in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota.

The First National Bank Building as seen from the Robert Street Bridge.

A picture of the First National Bank Building from Kellogg Boulevard.

2014 Summer / Life / pictures / Take Three

Boaters on the River

September 22, 2014

There are a tons of boaters on the Mississippi River this summer.

Boaters on the Mississippi River outside of downtown St. Paul.

A close up of boaters on the Mississippi River outside of downtown St. Paul.

I’d own a boat if I wasn’t so price sensitive and grossed out by non-chlorinated fresh water.

So I wouldn’t own a boat.

art / Minneapolis-St. Paul / Take Three / the details

Graffiti Outside the Holy Mackerel

September 21, 2014

I pass the Holy Mackerel tattoo parlor on most of my dog walks, and I love the mural on the side of the building.
The mural reminds me a lot of the Wynwood District of Miami, and I wish more businesses in town did this.

Graffiti Outside the Holy Mackerel

2014 Summer / Architecture / Minneapolis-St. Paul / pictures

The Mansions on the Hill

September 21, 2014

I’m a huge Bravo TV fan, especially of the Real Housewives franchise.

There’s an episode of the Real Housewives of New Jersey where Teresa Giudice moves into a new mansion styled after a French Chateau. I remember being appalled by how large and gaudy the mansion was.

The James J. Hill House is one of the mansions that I routinely pass during my dog walks by the Cathedral of St. Paul. This Gilded Age mansion was built by railroad magnate James Hill and features 36,000 square feet of livable space.
I’m not sure why I consider Teresa Guidice’s mansion tacky but remain impressed by the mansions on Summit Avenue.

The James J. Hill House in Cathedral Hill neighborhood of St. Paul.

: A mansion on Summit Avenue in St. Paul, Minnesota. The neighborhood is near the Cathedral of St. Paul and known for its large historic homes.

: The Germanic-American Institute purchased the Summit Avenue Haus in 1965, and refurbished it to suit the needs of a Kulturhaus for social and cultural gatherings.

: Flowers and landscaping in front of a mansion on Summit Avenue in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Perhaps the age of the mansions makes them respectable.

Not all of the mansions are old, or architecturally noteworthy. For example, there’s a fairly new mansion near the James J. Hill House which looks just like a medical office building.

This house has more in common with a medical office than a mansion.

The Summit Hill mansions are part of a fairly densely-packed community, which is probably why they don’t seem as tacky as the Guidice mansion (or Minnesota’s other BFE palaces).

I doubt that I’ll ever be able to afford a house on Summit Hill, and even if I could, I think a Horst condo is more my style.

2014 Summer / Architecture / art / Minneapolis-St. Paul / pictures / the details

The Cathedral of St. Paul

September 17, 2014

The Cathedral of Saint Paul is one of my favorite buildings in town.

I spent summers in Germany growing up, and I love having this building so close because it reminds me a lot of Trier.

I haven’t seen many other comparable cathedrals in the U.S. and the building commands my attention anytime that I venture to that side of downtown St. Paul.

An exterior view of the Cathedral of St. Paul, in Minnesota.

A long-stance view of the Cathedral of St. Paul, in Minnesota.

An exterior view of the Cathedral of St. Paul, in Minnesota.

Interior Shots

The interior of the church is on par with anything that I’ve seen in Germany. My mother recently visited and said that it was impressive as the Kölner Dom.

: An interior view of the Cathedral of St. Paul.

: An interior view of the Cathedral of St. Paul.

: An interior view of the Cathedral of St. Paul.

An exterior view of the Cathedral of St. Paul, in Minnesota.

Exterior Shots

The outside of the cathedral almost looks like a European church, minus the lack of dirt and acid rain stains.

: An exterior detail view of the Cathedral of St. Paul, in Minnesota. The cornerstone was laid on June 2, 1907 and the first liturgy was held on Palm Sunday, March 28, 1915. The exterior is made out of granite from Saint Cloud.

: An exterior detail view of the Cathedral of St. Paul, in Minnesota. The cornerstone was laid on June 2, 1907 and the first liturgy was held on Palm Sunday, March 28, 1915. The exterior is made out of granite from Saint Cloud.

: An exterior detail view of the Cathedral of St. Paul, in Minnesota. The cornerstone was laid on June 2, 1907 and the first liturgy was held on Palm Sunday, March 28, 1915. The exterior is made out of granite from Saint Cloud.

: An exterior detail view of the Cathedral of St. Paul, in Minnesota. The cornerstone was laid on June 2, 1907 and the first liturgy was held on Palm Sunday, March 28, 1915. The exterior is made out of granite from Saint Cloud.

: An exterior detail view of the Cathedral of St. Paul, in Minnesota. The cornerstone was laid on June 2, 1907 and the first liturgy was held on Palm Sunday, March 28, 1915. The exterior is made out of granite from Saint Cloud.

I’ve never been to the church for a service, but I enjoy It as a free museum (and dog walk restroom.)

2014 Summer / Minneapolis-St. Paul / pictures / the details

The St. Paul Civil War Monument

September 16, 2014

There’s a Civil War statue near the Cathedral of St. Paul.

I completely ignored the statue the first few times because I was too busy staring at the church, but one day I stopped to take pictures.

2014 Summer / Architecture / Lowertown / Lowertown Apartment / Minneapolis-St. Paul / pictures

Boom Times

September 8, 2014

There’s a housing boom going on in the Twin Cities.

Every time I venture into Uptown, I see another new vaguely-industrial loft building. There are also a few going up in St. Paul.

Generic condos outside of downtown St. Paul

Most of the stylized faux-factory developments look the same, and I don’t really understand the architectural style.

These buildings are trendy, but boring. Most of these developments will also look ridiculous in 10 years.

Do you know how we roll our eyes at those 80’s brick skyscrapers? That’s what’s going to happen with the fake factory loft buildings.

The particular “loft” building in the picture is called West Side Flats. It’s on the opposite side of the river from downtown St. Paul, and despite having a few Hour Cars, it must be terribly isolated in the winter.

West Side Flats is a few hundred dollars cheaper per month than the core Lowertown buildings, but it’s far enough away from everything that it doesn’t make sense to live there unless you live at the US Bank or Comcast buildings on that side of the river.

The Rayette is a new condo building going up in St. Paul.

There’s also a new apartment building coming to Lowertown.

The building is called the Rayette Lofts, and it’s in a former parking garage right across the street from the downtown St. Paul Farmer’s Market.

The Rayette’s leasing office is near my building and the leasing company is extremely aggressive (much to the annoyance of my building management.)

The rival building kept putting sandwich boards in front of our building until our management started stealing them.

I went to see the Rayette show unit out of curiosity. The charming sales agent couldn’t make the mock apartment less underwhelming. The unit was smaller than my current apartment and far more expensive. (One bedrooms top $2,000k/month)

The Rayette show unit also didn’t have the same specs as the real building (flooring, windows, ceiling height, cabinets) so only information that I got from the staged unit that the Rayette is another spendy, generic luxury building.

I don’t know whether downtown St. Paul really has the demand to support all of the new apartment units.

The prices for rentals in Lowertown are beginning to rival Uptown and the Warehouse District, and we have a dramatically smaller social/bar scene.

Another problem is that the condos in downtown St. Paul are relatively cheap, so people who have the means to spend $2,000 on rent will either buy (or rent) a condo instead of opting for the spendy building next door.

But who knows, perhaps I’m wrong about people’s tolerance for high rents in fake factories.

2014 Summer / Architecture / Minneapolis-St. Paul / pictures

Blair Arcade

September 7, 2014

Blair Arcade is one of the first buildings that I ever stumbled upon in St. Paul.

It houses a variety of businesses, including an Aveda Salon, a bookstore, and Nina’s Coffee Café.

Blair Arcade also has a gorgeous atrium with a basement fountain.

The hallway of Blair Arcade in St. Paul

The atrium of Blair Arcade in St. Paul

A lamp closeup in the atrium of Blair Arcade in St. Paul

There was a couple arguing in atrium when I took these pictures, hence why I don’t have any fountain pictures. I’m not a full pap yet.

Günter’s New Sweater

September 6, 2014

I’m officially that guy who buys sweaters for his Chihuahua.

I used to think “those dog owners” were obnoxious, but clothing is actually a necessity for some dogs.

Günter starts shivering anytime it gets under 65 degrees, so the sweaters help.

Gunter is a two year old Chiweenie (half chihuahua, half dachshund).

This particular sweater is from Walmart.

I got it for $4 on sale.

Gunter is a two year old Chiweenie (half chihuahua, half dachshund).

There’s a myth that good dog clothes have to be expensive.

While certain boutiques in St. Paul charge exorbitant prices, most major retailers like Target and Walmart have decent dog clothes for under $15.

I’m also not one of “those dog owners” who splurges on dog clothing. Who does that?

Gunter is a two year old Chiweenie (half chihuahua, half dachshund).

2014 Summer / dogs / pictures

The Growing Giant

September 5, 2014

Watching Hugo grow during the past few months was fascinating.

Hugo went from an awkward puppy that excitedly pees on our neighbors’ legs to an awkward young dog that eats our socks. This is progress.

Hugo, a Labrador and Greyhound (?) mix.

One of the ongoing problems we have is preventing Hugo from jumping to greet people and other dogs.

This is particularly challenging because many people go out of their way to greet Hugo, and almost all of them think the jumping thing is adorable.

Hugo, a Labrador and Greyhound (?) mix.

To complicate matters, I typically juggle my dog leashes with a coffee cup or cellphone in one hand, which isn’t ideal for control. What usually happens is that end up spilling coffee all over myself while attempting to keep Hugo off of an overexcited Lowertown tourist.

Hugo, a Labrador and Greyhound (?) mix.

Guessing Hugo’s Mix

The adoption papers from the Animal Humane Society listed Hugo as a Labrador mix, but didn’t really specify what the mix was.

Initially, everyone assumed that the brindle color must be a pitbull indication, but we suspect that Hugo is actually a Lab and Greyhound mix.

He’s developing an increasingly narrow frame and looks very similar to the brindle greyhounds living on our floor. So that could be it, right?

Hugo, a Labrador and Greyhound (?) mix.

We’ll likely have a better idea of what Hugo is after he’s fully grown. For now, we’ll leave the paternity speculation to Maury.

: Hugo sleeping while we watch TV.

: Hugo taking a nap in the middle of the day.

: Hugo, a Labrador and Greyhound (?) mix.

2014 Summer / Lowertown / Minneapolis-St. Paul / pictures

Mears Park

September 4, 2014

I’ve lived on Mears Park for two years now.

The park is the heart of the Lowertown District and is lined with condos, apartments, and restaurants.

: Mears Park in Lowertown, St. Paul.

: Mears Park at the corner of 5th Street and Jackson.

: Mears Park at 6th Street and Wabasha.

When it’s not snowing, Mears Park constantly hosts events like music festivals, weddings, food trucks, movies, and concerts.

The event schedule brings life to the neighborhood, but also makes street parking and dog walking a chore for locals.

Mears is an uniquely urban park, with an interesting mix of professionals, bar hoppers, artists, and the homeless. We’ve met a lot of our neighbors at the park’s dog area, and run across several creepy characters.

More info

Music in Mears
City of St. Paul Park Website

blog theory

Dusting the archives

September 3, 2014

I recently considered adding a “top posts” widget to the sidebar of this blog. It was a pretty simple widget – it displays my 10 most trafficked posts, updated every 24 hours.

When I previewed the widget, I was surprised to find that none of the top posts were recent.

This prompted me to open Google analytics for the first time in ages.

Although I obsessively check the web traffic of my clients, I rarely check the analytics for my blog. Traffic and conversions aren’t the goal here.

Almost all of my most heavily trafficked blogs were 2-3 years old, and it was pretty easy to figure out why: law school orientation.

This was one of the top law school student blogs back in the day because I was one of the only consistent bloggers writing without a pseudonym.

I graduated and stopped the textbook-induced navel-gazing, but my old advice posts remained.

Sure, the old posts are in a bit of a sad state – WordPress themes and URL structures changed, links broke, YouTube videos were taken down, text styling got wonky…but the meat of the content is still there.

Since this content still seems to be valuable to some people, I’ve started a salvaging project of sorts.

I remember binging on law school blogs when I started. Most of that involved trekking through the archives of writers who had long since graduated and abandoned their blogs. The information was crusty, but endlessly fascinating and helpful.

So, I’m slowly going through my archives and fixing all the formatting and linking errors. Perhaps this will make the information easier to consume for fledgling law students in the future.

One thing that I’m not bringing back is the comments section.

Comments are too hard to approve or moderate, and most meaningful conversations happen on social media anyway. Feel free to tweet any feedback @dennisjansen.

Memos and Mirth

Memos and Mirth

Memos and Mirth

Memos and Mirth