Blogs List
 Phillip Bock |
How not to have a wedding receptionTue, August 31, 2010 @ 11:11AM In a sparsely decorated legion hall I sat with my girlfriend on hard card-table chairs snacking on complimentary peanuts that seemed more airline appropriate than wedding appropriate. I glanced at my watch as time ticked past 5:30 p.m. Tables sat bare besides the plastic tablecloths and peanuts despite the fact that we were told dinner would start promptly at 5:00. Brittany and I made small talk with the few attendees and I bought two glasses of wine to wash down the peanuts. The room was big, empty and silent. A stage was set up that looked ready for a band to play, but no music emanated from the oversized speakers. The only sounds were of the rise and fall of occasional chatter as guests collectively pondered the whereabouts of dinner. Finally, over 45 minutes late, it arrived. No announcement was made, but once the food was visible guests flocked to line to get their food and save themselves from boring conversation.
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 Joe Brown |
Two-deep for SMSUWed, September 1, 2010 @ 9:08PM The Southwest Minnesota State football team gets its season underway Thursday night at 6 p.m., taking on Northern State in a nonconference matchup at Mattke Field at the Regional Event Center. Yes, both teams are in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, but because both teams already had ten conference games scheduled, the two teams decided to play each other to complete the 11-game season.
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 Karin Elton |
Cringeworthy wordsWed, September 1, 2010 @ 10:09AM I received an e-mail recently from a PR person about a new TV show in the Twin Cities aimed at kids. It said, “The TV show was concepted by NTC...” Wait, “concepted?” You mean conceived? "Mistaken mastectomy." You don’t want to see those two words together. Taken separately these words aren’t the best. Together, forget about it. When I saw the phrase listed among the stories on the AP wire recently, I didn’t click on it to read further. Also on the AP wire, “40 floor plunge.” I did look at this AP story. A guy “plunged 40 stories from the rooftop of an apartment building has survived after crashing onto a parked car.” I saw something like that recently on a Clive Owen movie, “Shoot ‘Em Up.” Owen jumped off an overpass (he was being chased by bad guys) into the sunroof of a car — and then he took off in it.
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 Deb Gau |
I'm a mean, mean person sometimesTue, August 31, 2010 @ 12:04PM There are times when I think sarcasm boils over to dangerously high levels in my life. This morning I caught a TV news headline that said something like, "Paris Hilton Could Serve Hard Time If Convicted of Cocaine Possession Charges." And my only response to seeing it was to say, "Really? Promise?" I know, it's wrong to wish hard time on anybody — even annoying pseudo-celebs whose life prospects won't be harmed by a prison sentence. Actually, I think in the case of celebrity arrests, we need something more like the Cone of Silence on "Get Smart." Get convicted, get banished to complete obscurity until you've done your time. Anything to make the media shut up about you for a little wh.
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 Per Peterson |
Saying the darndest (and dumbest) thingsFri, August 27, 2010 @ 4:31PM Former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson’s comparison of Social Security to “a milk cow with 310 million tits,” was just about the stupidest thing I’ve heard all week, and I’ve heard some pretty stupid things. But the outcry that has followed, including critics calling for his removal from President Obama’s deficit commission, is a bit over the top. Simpson’s remark angered the National Organization for Women and the AARP. NOW President Terry O’Neill said Obama should remove Simpson from the commission if Simpson won’t resign. Simpson, a Republican from Wyoming, is just like any other politician looking for a sound bite. Many politicians have a knack of coming up with catchy phrases and metaphors to express their feelings when reporters are around. They all do it. Outgoing District 21A House Rep. Marty Seifert, a Republican from Marshall, is well known for his witticisms. The Star Tribune quoted Seifert many times during his tenure in S.
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 Cindy Votruba |
Time to laughTue, August 31, 2010 @ 9:45PM I remember more than 23 years ago when Louie Anderson had a televised comedy program on PBS. My brother and I could recite lines from his routine like some people can do lines from "Star Wars" or "Princess Bride" or "Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail." Some memorable lines from "Mom, Louie's Looking At Me Again" for me: In going to a garage sale with his mother: "you could find a shirt." "What, does Raymond Burr live here?" Thanksgiving food: "What, did your aquarium freeze up? On his father's capabilities in fixing the TV: "Hoss looks thinner Dad." And I've now had the pleasure of interviewing Anderson twice in my lifetime. I did get to see his show in Jackpot three years ago. He's coming back to the area to the Montevideo American Legion on Sept. 23. He's coming to some unusual small spots for a four-day tour, which includes stops in Chisholm and Dassel.
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